Mass gatherings in Ireland - including festivals, concerts and sports events - banned until end of August

Credit: electricpicnic.ie

LARGE MASS GATHERINGS in Ireland have been banned until the end of August due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ban will mean the cancellation of most summer events such as festivals, concerts and sports events.

It will apply to gatherings of 5,000 people or more, though smaller events could also see restrictions imposed on them too.

In a statement, the Government said many large-scale events in the summer will require licensing and the involvement of the HSE and gardai if they are to go ahead.

"While the issue of restrictions on future mass gatherings is a decision to be taken by the NPHET, in the case of these particular events, and taking into account of the impacts on the integrity of the licensing process in the short-term due to restrictions on stakeholder involvement, local authorities have been advised by Government that event promoters should be informed that events requiring licenses in excess of 5,000 will not be considered for the period up to the end of August."

The news comes just days after Health Minister Simon Harris warned that it was "highly unlikely" that we would be seeing large scale mass gathering again until Christmas at the earliest.

The ban is set to see the cancelling of a number of big events across Ireland over the summer. Key events likely to be called off include:

Music festivals