It will be the weekend before the full impact of the foot-and-mouth crisis on GAA activities will be apparent.

Yesterday's confirmation has thrown the association's painfully reconstructed calendar of games into confusion once more. Although there will be no clear directives issued before the weekend, the National Leagues are again threatened with non-completion.

Yesterday's statement from Sean McCague, president of the GAA, stated that he had heard of the confirmation of the disease in Louth with "dismay and disappointment".

It went on to say that the GAA would be "awaiting confirmation of the recommendations of the Department of Agriculture's special task force".

It concludes: "The association hopes to be in a position to issue clear directives to its units within the next 48 hours."

Indications from the department - in the course of a radio interview with the Minister Joe Walsh - were that the revised restrictions announced last week would still apply, in other words, that the inter-county matches refixed for the weekend after next might still go ahead, but that awaits confirmation.

This weekend's Sigerson Cup and schools' competitions are still going ahead and any change in that situation will be announced today.

The wider picture still has to be clarified by the GAA. One reason why the statement referred to a 48-hour wait for clear directives is that a Central Council meeting is scheduled for Saturday and there may be important decisions to be taken.

For a start, there must be a question mark over Louth's participation in either of the leagues.

It may be up to Central Council at the weekend to decide between completing the leagues without Louth - and possibly other counties touched by the exclusion zone - or abandoning the competitions altogether.

Whereas the Games Administration Committee had always maintained that the leagues might be finished with an April restart, any further postponements would be nearly impossible to accommodate.

Another major item on the Central Council agenda is likely to be the annual congress in two weeks' time in Dublin. According to the revised guidelines, that would go ahead but with the delegations from affected counties possibly being asked not to attend.

Finally, Offaly's much-delayed county hurling final between Birr and Seir Kieran is to go ahead at St Brendan's Park in Birr.