Covid:19: Ireland's National Public Health Emergency Team could be stood down

Dr Tony Holohan said the country is moving out of the "emergency phase" of the pandemic

The expert team that advises the Irish government how to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic could be stood down shortly under new proposals.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) was set up two years ago as the virus began to spread in Europe.

Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan has written to the government saying the country is now moving out of the "emergency phase" of the pandemic.

He said it was now "timely to conclude the work of the NPHET".

In a nine-page letter, Dr Holohan has also recommended ending almost all of the remaining coronavirus restrictions in Ireland by the end of this month.

It would include scrapping the mandatory wearing of face coverings in most indoor settings including shops and public transport, although masks would still be advised in buses, trains and taxis.

He also proposed significant changes to the test and trace system, including ending PCR testing for most people under the age of 55, regardless of symptoms.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin has said the government will accept the latest advice, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

The government lifted the majority of its Covid-19 restrictions last month, after Mr Martin said the country had "weathered the Omicron storm".

So-called Covid passports, where customers had to show proof of vaccination or a recent Covid test to enter hospitality venues, were scrapped from 22 January.

Bars, restaurants and nightclubs which previously had to close at 20:00 in the evening, were permitted to return to normal trading hours.

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NPHET's leaders have become familiar faces in the Irish media, hosting regular televised briefings for journalists since the team was established on 27 January 2020.

Dr Holohan has chaired NPHET for most of that period, but he stepped down temporarily for a few months in 2020 to care for his late wife who was terminally ill.

Dr Holohan's latest letter to the government was published on Friday.

A mural of Ireland's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, was painted on a closed pub in Dublin in 2020

He wrote that his office would "continue to closely monitor the epidemiological profile of the disease".

The chief medical officer added that his office would remain available to provide any future advice necessary to assist the government in its ongoing decisions in respect of Covid-19.

At the beginning of this month, Dr Holohan told a parliamentary committee there were no plans to stand down NPHET and that he still saw an ongoing need for a "multi-professional" advisory panel.

He added that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was the person who would decide when NPHET's work should end.

On Friday, Mr Donnelly welcomed the recommendations and expressed his appreciation to Dr Holohan's team.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the NPHET for their expertise, commitment and guidance through what has been such a difficult period. Their contribution cannot be overstated," the minister said.