Varadkar reveals summer staycation plans as foreign holidays ‘not going to be a runner’

Planning on heading west to enjoy the sunshine this summer, Varadkar said that he'll be spending a few days in Sligo in lieu of foreign holiday this year.  Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has pre-empted the summer rush that is inevitably bound to happen this year and has gotten his word in early, revealing that he already has his staycation booked for a few months time. Speaking to RTÉ 2FM earlier today, Varadkar said: "I have booked my home holidays for August in Sligo. I had hoped to go to a beach somewhere, not going to happen - well it will be a beach in Sligo but I'd hoped to get somewhere sunny and warm but that's not going to be a runner this summer." Perhaps Sally Rooney's Normal People swayed him... Later adding that he thinks restrictions will have eased enough by then, Varadkar is hopeful that "we will be able to have beers outdoors with friends this summer". "I think there's a very good chance this summer we'll be able to have home holidays like we did last summer. "I think we'll be able to have beers outdoors with friends this summer and get around the country but you just never know because this virus has torn up our plans so many times." Quelling any hopes that mass gatherings could be possible, Varadkar said that the likes of matches or live gigs are still unlikely to get the green light and advised people to make sure all plans are "cancellable". "Tony Holohan would say even if we did get to zero - which is very unlikely in Ireland, no European country has done that - we probably still wouldn't be having concerts or matches because the risk of somebody getting into the country from the North or on a truck, getting into one of those scenarios would be too high risk. "So we really need to get people vaccinated first and that's what it's all about." Varadkar's comments come after Michéal Martin stated that the country would not be "reopening hugely on March 5".

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