Just 6 weeks ago, on November 23rd 2021, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar assured the public that boosters would not be required for one to maintain a valid Covid cert.
The comments were made when asked if such a move was on the cards for Ireland.
As reported by the Journal.ie:
Leo Varadkar says people don't need to be worried that all of a sudden their Covid Pass will only work if they have had three doses of the vaccine.
'That's not under consideration at all at the moment,' he says https://t.co/aIlPTwZnsL
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) November 23, 2021
Just six weeks later, Taoiseach Micheál Martin took to the airwaves to declare that booster certs will eventually be needed to enter bars and restaurants.
As reported by Newstalk this week:
“Booster certs will eventually be needed to access bars and restaurants, the Taoiseach has confirmed.
…
Currently, booster doses are not recorded on COVID certs; however, the Government this afternoon confirmed that they will be updated in the coming weeks.
…
“In the fullness of time, yes, I think, but not shorter than that,” he said. “The HSE are now working on including the booster within the vaccine record and cert.”
People will eventually need #vaccine #boosters to get into bars and restaurants, the Taoiseach has confirmed. https://t.co/GPdarIVyDp
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) January 5, 2022
Good news with regard to the EU Digital Covid Cert. In line with EU commitments, the certs will be updated to reflect third doses, by January 15th.
— Alan Farrell TD (@AlanFarrell) January 5, 2022
The complete overnight u-turn on the issue is emblematic of the government’s pattern of confused messaging and mixed signals throughout the Covid period.