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Weddings with up to 50 people allowed under 'Level 2' - including in Dublin

Even under the lowest level in the government’s new plan, numbers allowed at weddings will be restricted to 100.

THE NUMBER OF people who can attend a wedding will be limited to 50 under the current level in the government’s new Covid-19 plan.

The five-level plan was unveiled today and is designed to take the country through the next six months. Currently the country is at ‘Level 2′ – with ‘Level 1′ having the least severe restrictions.

Under the current level, up to 50 people can attend a wedding ceremony and reception. This still applies to Dublin, even though there are tighter restrictions in the capital on households gatherings.

Even under the lowest level in this plan, numbers allowed at weddings will be restricted to 100 and the criteria for moving down to that level are not currently clear. 

Last month Fáilte Ireland released updated guidance on hotel weddings, stating that guests would have to leave the function room/bar area by 11.30pm and that face coverings must be worn by guests when arriving to and leaving their table. The guidance also said the 50-person limit included employees working at the event. 

Other organised events

For organised indoor events with a named event organiser, owner or manager, up to 50 patrons are permitted in groups of six with arrangements to ensure no intermingling of groups under ‘Level 2′.

Larger venues will be allowed to permit 100 patrons where strict two metre seated social distancing and one-way controls for entry and exit can be implemented. These rules only apply to events such as business or trading events, conferences, events in theatres and cinemas and other arts events.

For very large purpose built event facilities (stadia, auditoriums, conference or event centres) specific guidance will be developed with the relevant sectors to take account of size and different conditions for larger events.

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17 Comments
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    Mute Trish O'Leary-Dunne
    Favourite Trish O'Leary-Dunne
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:00 PM

    So have i got this right? If i call into my mothers and one of my brothers is there i cant go in as we are different households..but we could all go to a wedding or for dinner in the local?? (Am in Dublin).Makes perfect sense.

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    Mute InvaderSkoodge
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:05 PM

    @Trish O’Leary-Dunne: I believe under the current restrictions for Dublin, your mother will have to choose between you and your brother for the foreseeable future. It sounds like it’s only one other household in general, not just one at a time.

    As per usual with this government, it’s as clear as mud

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    Mute Brynþór Patrekursson
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:11 PM

    @InvaderSkoodge: that’s actually correct, and makes sense. Trish can invite over friends, go to multiple friends house and as many restaurants as she pleases. Her brother, however many siblings they have, also had their own circle of friends. The aim is to reduce siding a disease between those of us who are not significantly impacted (me, Trish, you, my kids) and our parents, who potentially could die quickly if the 100+ cases start to include them.

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    Mute InvaderSkoodge
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:18 PM

    @Brynþór Patrekursson: I’m sorry, but it doesn’t make sense. Using that logic, Trish’s mother is an adult and could just decide to go to Mary’s daughters’ wedding down the road as long as she counts towards the 50, mingle with Mary and her sisters and then go home and infect Trish (assuming Trish was the favourite kid and made the cut). Its a nice idea in theory to protect the vulnerable, but in practice its completely unworkable because of human behaviour.

    And sorry Trish, give my regards to your mother who’s being dragged around the bushes here XD

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    Mute Trish O'Leary-Dunne
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:22 PM

    @InvaderSkoodge:.I was just on the phone to her.Told her its a sophies choice situation and she needs to choose lol

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    Mute InvaderSkoodge
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:10 PM

    I absolutely cannot understand the blanket restrictions on gatherings regardless of venue size. I heard someone on the radio saying why not just use whatever calculations they have for working out number of people in a building to comply with fire regulations, extrapolate that to account for social distancing, and allow a venue that capacity. It makes zero sense that my child can sit in a classroom with 30 other kids for hours a day, but a massive hotel ballroom can only have 50 guests (realistically 40 plus staff) huddled into a corner for a meal.

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    Mute Eileen O'Sullivan
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:12 PM

    @InvaderSkoodge: I think its the toileting is the problem for venues unless you wit till yo go home for a wee.

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    Mute Brynþór Patrekursson
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:17 PM

    @InvaderSkoodge: they have modelled how diseases spread in different scenarios. Ideally, to reduce risk, NPHET would continue to close pubs, weddings, sports and schools – as that had the highest likelyhood to stop the spread. The govt thinks this is politically untenable, which it is, and so they ask what’s the minimum we can tolerate for smaller numbers of events, risk to kids families in schools etc… That’s what they are trying to do, it’s reducing the risk to society, while doing the most to appear normal. All these analogies (and €9 meal stories) are just people who don’t want to see the whole picture.

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    Mute Fintan Smith
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    Sep 16th 2020, 7:22 AM

    @InvaderSkoodge: the actual government document says 50 guests so technically shouldn’t include staff it the wedding couple. Am waiting to see the actual wording of the statutory instrument when published though.. Whole thing is so unclear it’s a joke

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Sep 15th 2020, 1:34 PM

    It’s becoming tiresome when folk give out different scenarios of what they can and can’t do under the guidelines. We know it doesn’t make sense. None of this does.
    What it does do is restrict the movements of people. All the various connotations make it more difficult for us to behave normally. This is a good thing. Just remember that.

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    Mute WreckDefier
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    Sep 15th 2020, 7:53 PM

    Four weddings and a funeral=250

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    Mute great gael of Eire
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    Sep 15th 2020, 5:35 PM

    I was chatting to a friend of mine in Spain. He moved there a few months ago from the ME. They had a big lockdown at the start of all this. we all seen the videos ect. Just recently they have started lifting the restrictions. If you look at the graphs you’ll find that the daily cases are matching those back in March. The graph with the death rate looks the same as ours. The govt have made a decision to lift the restrictions as the economy was tanking. job losses through the roof and people slipping into poverty. They are following the Swedish model. France are doing the same as are most countries in Europe. We are on course to destroy our economy. Look at the taxi protests! Another phenomenon you will find is that young people in Ireland are now going abroad on holidays because they cannot bare the restrictions that are in place here. They want to go out and have fun with friends and meet girls/boys and live life with some normality without people calling them selfish.

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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Sep 15th 2020, 6:34 PM

    @great gael of Eire: they are selfish for doing that.

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    Mute great gael of Eire
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    Sep 15th 2020, 11:24 PM

    @Paul Cunningham: why are they selfish? They go away and come home isolate for the time needed. Follow all the rules!! Why are we the only country in Europe that has banned holidays??

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    Mute jerry slattery
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    Sep 15th 2020, 8:09 PM

    You can hire a hotel have 100 people in for food and drink but call it a wedding and you are back to 50

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Sep 15th 2020, 3:42 PM

    Already we have the government messing with their own Level system and adding to the confusion. The entire country, including Dublin, is Level 2. Except that in Dublin they also have bits of higher Levels thrown into the mix. All the levels are clearly laid out as to what is and isn’t allowed so why not move Dublin to level 3 instead of this “You’re level 2, but….” nonsense. Not picking on Dublin here, I’d be saying the exact same if my own county was seeing the same issues that Dublin is at present.

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    Mute Angela Lavin
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    Sep 15th 2020, 6:24 PM

    @Tommy Roche: totally ridiculous…. but since they have no defined criteria for fitting in to a particular level … it’s always going to be made up as they go along….

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