COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland

Shops in cities across the country will remain open until 6 pm on Tuesday, while most supermarket chain outlets will stay open until 9 pm to accommodate last-minute Christmas shoppers.

A surge in COVID-19 infections has prompted Greece to reinstate the requirement for masks indoors, signaling concerns about the escalating number of cases. Although the measure is currently advised rather than mandatory, health authorities are urging adherence to mitigate the spread of the virus.

France today began lifting Covid restrictions, including mandatory masks outside, in a bid to make everyday life easier for citizens, after only last month the country announced a record number of new coronavirus infections, AFP reported.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adanom Gebrejesus, has warned world leaders that the coronavirus pandemic is "far from over", the BBC reported.

The head of the WHO opposes the assumption that the new dominant variant Omicron is significantly softer/milder and has eliminated the threat of the virus.

Europe remains "in the firm grip" of COVID and the continent's death toll could top 2.2 million this winter if current trends continue, the World Health Organization warned on Nov. 23.

Europe is battling an upsurge in the pandemic that saw Austria return to lockdown this week while Germany and the Netherlands are poised to announce new restrictions.

Despite high levels of vaccination in many European countries and the stimulation of the tourism industry during the summer months, tourism activity is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Ljubljana – Slovenia confirmed 545 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, down slightly on the week before. Hospital numbers remained flat.

The latest figure bring the 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 population to 621 and the seven-day average of new daily cases stands at 1,038, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

The European Commission said on March 30 that it has approved the extension and modification of a Bulgarian wage-support programme under the EU state aid temporary framework to support the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ljubljana – The furlough scheme, a measure aimed at preventing lay-offs due to the Covid-19 epidemic, which was to expire at the end of the month, will be extended with the eighth stimulus package at least until the end of April, Prime Minister Janez Janša tweeted before today’s cabinet session dedicated to the epidemiological situation.