A Cork GP has welcomed the recent lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and hailed vaccination for making it possible to return to normality.

Speaking to The Echo, Dr John Sheehan of Blackpool Bridge Surgery, and also a Fianna Fáil city councillor, described the lifting of restrictions as “good news overall”.

Dr Sheehan said that while there are people who will remain particularly vigilant as Covid-19 is still spreading in the community, the virus has become so prevalent that restrictions will no longer help to protect people from catching it.

“The prevalence of it was so high that really having these restrictions became irrelevant to managing it.

“Really I think we’ve moved on now to a situation where if people are positive they’re minding themselves and they’re restricting their movements because it’s still there and some people will be sick with it.

“People are minding themselves, they’re using the masks and they're being careful but the need then to restrict things such as restaurants, matches and gatherings really when so many people have had Omicron, the need to do those restrictions didn’t really exist anymore.

“Restrictions work when you’re trying to stop the virus and the numbers aren’t huge but when the virus is very prevalent and people aren’t as sick with it, the need for those restrictions really becomes not needed anymore and I think it’s a good thing.

“You can see it in the reaction. There’s a sense of relief and there’s a sense of getting back to normal and for mental health reasons alone, I think it’s a positive and encouraging message to get out rather than a gradual opening, I think we should get back to celebrating and doing the things that are so important for all of us and that we all enjoy,” he said.

He said that vaccinations have been key to the reopening of society and that they remain important going forward.

“Those vaccination programmes, the mass vaccination centres, GPs, the pharmacists, they really stood up and it really did make a big difference and when Omicron hit then it didn't cause the damage that it could have without the vaccinations so it really has made a difference,” he said.