Changing of close contact rules welcomed by Tullamore business owner

The easing of the Government's rules on isolation periods for Covid-19 close contacts will come into effect from midnight tonight, and has been welcomed by a representative of the business community in Tullamore.

Anthony Kearns, a Tullamore Chamber of Commerce member who owns Guy Clothing and Kode Clothing & Footwear in the town, said the new rules would be helpful in bringing close contacts who were testing negative for the virus back to work sooner.

From tomorrow, close contacts who are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot will no longer need to isolate for five days if they have no Covid symptoms. Instead they are being asked to wear a high-quality mask and take regular antigen tests.

Close contacts who have not received a booster will be asked to restrict their movements for seven days, while those who test positive for Covid-19 will have to self-isolate for seven - rather than ten - days.

When contacted by the Offaly Independent on Wednesday afternoon, Anthony said the changes could have been brought in sooner but it was a case of 'better late than never'.

"Safety is everyone's primary concern, but in the last four weeks we've had staff, across all sectors, from hospitality to retail, who have produced negative antigen tests for two, three or four days in a row, and because they were a close contact they were still out of work for ten days.

"You can see it across Tullamore, and right across the Midlands, that a number of businesses have had to either reduce their hours or close completely, not because of outbreaks of Covid but because of 'outbreaks' of close contacts.

"We have to be cognizant of the fact that this virus is still here, and still rampant, but this (change) allows us to operate our business in a safe manner, which we are always trying to do, and allows us to trade and serve the public."

He said his retail businesses in the town had enjoyed a positive month in December.

"There was an appetite among people to treat loved ones and to treat themselves. Customer spend was definitely up," he reported.

Anthony added that people were already starting to buy clothing for confirmations and communions, and he detected an expectation among the general public that these would be able to go ahead as normal.

When asked about the longer-term outlook, he sounded a note of caution.

"I think Covid is here to stay with us, and will be here for a number of years. Maybe we are riding out the worst of it, but people seem to forget that you can get Covid again," he said.

"I know a number of people who are after getting Covid for a second time in the last number of weeks, having had it maybe six or nine months ago.

"So I think there will still, unfortunately, be fatalities among the vulnerable, and disruption to business and family life, but hopefully it will be a lot less than what we experienced over the last couple of years."

In a statement on Wednesday, the Small Firms Association (SFA) also welcomed the changing of rules on close contacts.

Its director, Sven Spollen-Behrens, said many businesses had been "crippled" by staff shortages in recent weeks.

"We are glad the Government has listened to the calls from small business and revised these rules, as many small businesses found themselves in a serious staffing crisis. This will now allow them to get back on track as best they can," he said.