The Chief Medical Officer says the scenes in Dublin city centre last weekend were like something from before an All-Ireland Final.
Dr Tony Holohan expressed his shock at the large crowds who gathered in the South William Street area on Saturday.
But there's been criticism of his message - because people have been encouraged to enjoy an "outdoor summer".
Drove into Dublin City Centre to collect someone from work at 815 PM. Absolutely shocked at scenes in South Great George’s St, Exchequer St, South William St area. Enormous crowds- like a major open air party. This is what we do not need when we have made so much progress.
— Dr Tony Holohan (@CMOIreland) May 29, 2021
Scale
The CMO says the virus can still spread outdoors when people aren't social distancing or wearing masks: "We could have easily anticipated that there would be crowds and that people would be tempted out by the good weather and the opportunity … that is kind of understandable.
"But simply the scale of it was something. I drove through the junction looking up South William Street and it looked like Jones’s Road on the day of an All-Ireland.
"So, it is not at all that we are surprised that we see some level of non-compliance - but the scale of it.
“I think if the council had set about organising an outdoor event, they couldn’t have squeezed more people into that confined arena – so that was the concern.
"If outdoor transmission was to take place, that is the kind of environment in which it would happen."
