Electric Picnic has been refused a licence for this year by Laois county council.
Paschal McEvoy, a Fianna Fail councillor in Laois, said that “most people” wanted the festival’s licence refused and that “public health has to come first”. He had called on the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) to assist the council in making its decision.
The council said the decision was made “following the most up-to-date public health advice” from the HSE. “Furthermore it is noted that under current government measures for the management of Covid-19 events of this nature are restricted of 500 people only,” it said.
The festival had been due to take place from September 24 to 26 at Stradbally Hall Estate.
The Times reported last week that MCD, the promoter and one of the main organisers of the festival, had written to Catherine Martin, the culture minister, to outline how it would be able to proceed with a Covid-19 compliant festival. It said that people who were fully vaccinated should be able to attend festivals and concerts.
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Elsewhere, tourism representatives met government officials yesterday to update them on the reopening of indoor hospitality, which began last week.
It is understood that all representatives, including trade unions, requested a roadmap to fully reopening hospitality businesses without restrictions in the coming months. Officials confirmed they were working on a plan, to be published by the end of the month.
Inspections from the HSE and the HSA are expected to begin in earnest next week, to ensure compliance with the rules.
The bishops of Raphoe, Elphin, Clogher, Meath, Waterford and Lismore, and Killaloe have given their priests the green light to perform communions and confirmations this month, against government restrictions and public health advice.
Dermot Farrell, archbishop of Dublin, wrote to priests on Tuesday to say that they could perform communions and confirmations if they “consider it safe” and suggested “shorter, simpler and smaller ceremonies”. He called the current restrictions “discriminatory”.
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Farrell told RTE Radio One yesterday that parents should be trusted to make the decision. “I heard discussed last night 70,000 people attending Electric Picnic. Weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties. That a parent cannot take their child along to receive the sacrament of confirmation, that is simply not credible,” he told News at One with Bryan Dobson.
The European Commission has approved an advance purchase agreement for 100 million doses of Novavax, a Covid-19 vaccine that is under rolling review, with an option for another 100 million doses over three years. The deal will come into effect if the European Medicines Agency approves the jab.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said that the contract was an additional safeguard for Europeans against new variants of the disease. Member states would be able to receive the Novavax doses starting from the last quarter of this year.
As of Tuesday, 5,948,704 vaccines had been administered in Ireland, with 3,135,842 first doses, 2,594,735 second doses and 218,127 of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab.
Paul Reid, HSE chief executive, tweeted that there had been times during the pandemic when young people faced “unfair criticism”. He added: “What I witnessed last weekend in walk-in vaccination centres, were younger people, mature beyond their years, with the greater good of society and our health service driving their actions.”
