177. The Act of 2001 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 26:

“26A. (1) Notwithstanding section 26, the Minister may, in the public interest and where it is necessary to do so having regard to the immediate, exceptional and serious risk posed to human life and public health by a pandemic or by Covid-19 and with the consent of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, make an order providing that, in addition to the poll provided for under section 26—

(a) in one or more local authorities, an advance poll may be taken on the day before the day appointed by the Minister under section 26, and

(b) a poll referred to in paragraph (a) shall continue for such period, not being less than twelve hours, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10.30 p.m.

(2) An order under this section shall be published in Iris Oifigiúil as soon as may be after it is made.

(3) In this section—

‘Covid-19’ means a disease caused by infection with the virus SARS-CoV-2 and specified as an infectious disease in accordance with Regulation 6 of, and the Schedule to, the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 (S.I. No. 390 of 1981) or any variant of the disease so specified as an infectious disease in those Regulations;

‘pandemic’ means an outbreak of disease—

(a) occurring worldwide or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and affecting a large number of people, and

(b) which has been declared by the World Health Organisation to be a pandemic.”.