Drivetime on RTE Radio 1 on Friday evening gave a inkling of what the future of public gathering and sporting events in Ireland could be like in 2020.

During an interview between presenter Mary Wilson and Cork based Dr Chris Luke, the issue of society returning to something approaching normal after the current lockdown due to Covid-19 was discussed.

Wilson asked: “Would we still be in a situation where we wouldn't have any large gatherings, the GAA championships if you like?”

In response Dr Chris Luke answered: “I would be very, very surprised if we could return to that even within 12-months. I'm certainly thinking something with regards to September with regards to anything of an easing (of current restrictions on group gatherings).”

Dr Luke tempered his answer by saying “I'm not a public health scientist, I'm an emergency physician with an interest in public health. I don't want to speculate too much on that.

“This will not be a binary situation... there will not be a light switch, it will not be suddenly back to normal.”

You can listen to the interview here: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/11177753 (the segment in question is around the 16 minute mark).

Many sporting organisations are already planning a return to action, possibly behind closed doors. German Bundesliga teams have already returned to training in restricted situations.

However, in an article in Sports Illustrated it was argued by Zach Binney, a PhD in epidemiology that there will be no sports with spectators until a vaccine for Covid-19 is found. 

He also advised that it would be nearly impossible to play sports behind closed doors in a manner which would guarantee that players were not at risk of infection.

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