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LAST UPDATE | 19 Apr 2021
THERE MAY BE “the potential for more” easing of restrictions in May than what has already been indicated, according to Higher Education Minister Simon Harris.
Details of what May, June and July will look like should be provided by Cabinet next week, according to Harris.
Speaking to reporters today, he said the full opening of construction, retail, and personal services are likely to take place in May.
Harris said it may be possible to “go further” with some outdoor activities if numbers stay they as they are.
“I think there might be the potential to do a bit more in May,” he said. On “things like outdoor dining and the likes”, he said:
I’m not in a position to give a definitive view, but I think we need to start answering those questions next week.
Cabinet will meet next week to discuss easing restrictions in May and discuss the reopening of businesses in the summer.
The minister said today that the government needs to provide a roadmap beyond May, and provide “as much detail as possible” as businesses “just want an indication of when they might be able to reopen”.
100 million Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses to the EU
It comes as AstraZeneca’s country president for Ireland wrote to the Oireachtas Health Committee about the schedule for its Covid-19 vaccine deliveries for the rest of the year.
Daniel Wygal wrote that AstraZeneca expects to deliver 100 million doses to the European Union in the first half of 2021, with 29.8 million delivered in the first three months of the year.
AstraZeneca had been reportedly due to deliver around 120 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed with Oxford in the first quarter of the year – what was actually delivered was less than a quarter of that number.
Relations between the EU and the Anglo-Swedish company have deteriorated since, with arguments ensuing over what commitments were made by AstraZeneca in its contract with the EU.
“Despite working tirelessly to accelerate supply,” Wygal wrote to the Committee, “AstraZeneca were disappointed to announce a shortfall in planned Covid-19 vaccine shipments to the European Union on 12 March 2021.
“We had previously communicated that we were facing shortfalls from our European supply chain due to lower-than-expected output from the production process. We had sought to compensate for part of this shortfall by sourcing vaccines from its international supply network, but have been met with export restrictions in this regard.”
Outdoor activities
While the Higher Education Minister said he did not want to speculate about what the imminent announcements could mean for each sector, Harris said there is evidence that things like outdoor activities can be done safely.
There is hope “we could do a little bit more in the outdoor space” area, he said.
Mentioning his own constituency of Wicklow, he said this weekend people were out and about enjoying themselves outdoors, in a safe way.
Harris said a lot has been learned about the virus over the last year, and people are acting responsibly.
He added that we now have to “treat people with respect”.
The public know a lot more about the virus and how to do things safely than some people acknowledge, said Harris.
Speaking about the guidance that one household can meet another outdoors, Harris said it might be possible to “do a bit more” in that area next month.
The minister also said that golf and tennis will restart at the end of this month, and perhaps there are other outdoor activities that could be looked at also.
Certainty needed
The onus is on government now to give as much certainty as possible next week, he added.
He will be able to go to the Cabinet meeting next week with the country in a better position than it has been in many, many months, he said.
Highlighting the numbers, he said yesterday saw the lowest case numbers in a long time, and the positivity rate is staying at the stable 2% mark.
Hospital numbers and those in ICU are also falling. Harris said he feels more “hopeful and positive” than he has done for a very long time.
Last summer, the public were able to enjoy staycations around the country, with the minister saying today that he could say with a reasonable degree of confidence that could be achieved again.
He said the vaccines are giving more protection than “anyone could have hoped for”, but government must be careful also not to fall at the final hurdle.
Speaking on the Today with Claire Byrne programme on RTÉ, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said more than 70,000 people left unemployed because of Covid-19 will be back working by the end of the year.
Getting people back to work
Paschal Donohoe said that getting people back into jobs will be a “huge driver” of tax revenue increases.
More than 400,000 people are currently claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (Pup).
Donohoe said economic forecasts show that around 220,000 people could be back working next year, meaning it could be 2023 before Ireland returns to pre-pandemic employment levels.
The finance minister also said he expects a recommendation by the end of the week on whether the Government will decide to extend the interval between the first and second doses of the coronavirus vaccines.
The Government is awaiting advice on extending the interval from four weeks to some 12 weeks.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is currently examining the merits of changing the current vaccination programme to help speed up the rollout.
“Effective vaccinations is the key thing within our country, we’re on track to do that,” Donohoe said.
“Our vaccination strategy is working. We vaccinated 140,000 of our citizens last week, it’ll be 170,000 at least this week.
With reporting by Press Association and Gráinne Ní Aodha
Nice sentiment but let’s be honest here it means nothing. The question for western democracies now is how many more citizens they are willing to sacrifice before patience runs out.
Similar situation to war where the establishment talks the talk and the ordinary man and woman and child in the street walk the walk.
Can guarantee you this – when members of the establishment start to pay the price with their lives they’ll soon be singing a different tune.
@Carl Ingalls: the psychological and morale battle is more important than military and security aspects in asymmetric conflict situations.
Members of the establishment, the privileged and the powerful, are never affected by armed conflict but that is a separate issue.
Mass carpet bombings by Western forces in the Middle East, $350 billion arms deals with Saudi Arabia and repetitive interference in the Middle East on top of the Iraqi second invasion have not helped and have contributed to terrorism.
Is not Allah’s name used in mitigation, every time, or am I missing something?
@Tony Daly: you’ll blame everything except Islam.
I don’t think people get it yet. Islam is just an ideology used for conquer and to
prevail. Islam is not a religion. You can not reason with brain washed people who believe they are right beyond all reason. There is billions of Muslims if only 0.1 percent of them are radicalised that means there is Millon’s of them willing to die in the name of Allah… There is little if any solution to this mess.
@Tony Daly: one of the terrorists was from morocco. What western intervention is going on in that country?
@Carl Ingalls: absolutely. The British establishment didn’t give a toss until the financial district was targeted with warning to clear out innocent civilians. There were talks the next week.
A huge cancer in mankind is that the killing. Industry (relabeled the Defense industry by their PR departments) have politicians and decision makers as their shareholders. Perpetual war enriches these policy makers. Is it in their interests to end war?
It’s morbidly routine at this point. Islamic terror attack occurs. People vent their outrage and disgust. The liberal media swoop in, putting ou an an article saying that Muslims are showing their solidarity, bla bla bla. Next week, they’ll be back to pumping out articles about terrible that think Trump and the right are. Rinse and repeat. Everyone go back burying their heads
@Alex: clearly the hash tags aren’t working!!! Rather than be proactive and come up with a solution. The liberal grief junkies and apologists are out in force
@Alex: moan, whinge, attack liberals and repeat ad nausea.
@cholly appleseed: what’s your solution?!
@Tony Daly: You have a problem with whinging about terror? You must be a liberal
@Chucky Arlaw: can you hear that? crickets
@Alex: I’m still waiting for your plan by the way
@Dave O Keeffe: they don’t have a plan just like Brexit it’s just built up hatred vented on the journal comments Section they don’t have any solutions.
@some random guy: nobody does. I hate terrorists too
Standing defiantly pretty much means sitting around doing nothing and waiting for the next slaughter at this stage.
@IrishInfidel: really though what can do done though ? .. how is anybody meant to stop a terrorist ploughing a van into a crowd ir someone stabbing innocent peopke
@Suzie Sunshine: Could start by having a serious discussion about Islamist extremism within the Muslim community, but politicians throughout Europe seem to afraid to call a spade a spade.
Nothing can be done if we’re not allowed talk about the problem
@IrishInfidel: Just like you?
@Chris Avison: this was meant in reply to your first comment!
@IrishInfidel: foiling most of the terrorist attacks, increasingly effective intelligence, fast responses within 8 minutes elimating the terrorists, detaining the support network and getting on with life in a resilient manner is far from doing nothing.
@Tony Daly: we need to find a cure for this disease , a plaster and a pat on the back just won’t cut it anymore . Time for action now , Ireland now being called a soft back door for Jihadis .
Problem will be here for a generation or more. The solution needs to be looking at the long term. Needs to be around integration and acceptance. So much progression on race and sexuality over the last 50 years that would have been laughable at the outset. Religion needs to be next on the agenda!
And it is perfectly natural and healthy for people to share in grief.
@Tony Daly: Tony look at the damage that was done even with a record 8 minutes response. . You’d never be able to eliminate them ..
It’s all been said before, the West has to take a stand for the values we have fought through the centuries for or our way of life will down the road be under threat, interesting how Assad is quoted as saying the terrorists are almost in retreat in the East, while here in the West it’s looking like a free for all with hardly any country untouched in some form or other by terror.
@Kate Flaherty: selling out Western values out of overreactive fear and hatred in the face of a very limited ISIS terrorist campaign is not helpful.
The English show fortitude, resilience and getting on with life in the face of adversity.
@Tony Daly: overreactive fear? Get a grip. People have every right to be fearful. This from the man who lives in a dangerous fire hazard of an apt but choses not to inform the relevant authorities but give out instead. You are a plonker mate
@Tony Daly: I’m hardly encouraging the “selling out of western values” as you put it, radicals seek to destroy, freedom, democracy, choice, all these things we have are now coming under threat, their holy men are telling them to go to Europe, have bigger families, buy bigger cars, live in bigger houses, western women are looked on with disdain by these fundamentalists, recent tests done in Sweden using dental examinations, X-ray and by checking bone density proved that 70% of those claiming to be minors are not in fact minors, the incidents of rape and sexual assault attacks are also on the rise, kebab shops and other shops in this country are being used for money laundering to fund ISIS, I could go on but I have a feeling it wouldn’t make much of an impact on you Tony……
@cholly appleseed: certainly not. You are losing control. Sad. You are a victim of ISIS and playing the tune of ISIS.
@Tony Daly: you are apologies and refusing point blank to blame the Islamic ideology. It’s grand having no fear when you sit I’m all day long and comment on every article 50 times never venturing out. No wonder your biggest complaint and worry is the tinderbox you live in
@Tony Daly: we don’t need to run around thinking the sky is falling , but we can tighten border controls and immigration , why should we not stop people coming into the country , if we don’t know who they are . The Irish government owes a duty of care to its people first and foremost .
@Ken Hayden: that absolutely should be happening. If it’s not then shame on them. After that though what next? Most attackers have been in the country they attack for years. Some even born there. How do we weed out the extremists in a way that doesn’t feed into the rhetoric of ISIS and create more?
@Dave O Keeffe: To be honest, I don’t really care if the action taken creates more of them , once it eradicates the disease . If we don’t allow more in , then we’ll solve the problem .
Like I said , the majority of Muslim’s here are not radicalised , but the islamic ideology needs to be tackled . We cannot , I repeat cannot allow the situation to develop like it has in other countries .
England is now facing an uphill struggle because it buried it’s head in the sand .
@Ken Hayden: When have the Irish Government or any Irish Government for that matter given a stuff about its people. I certainly won’t hold my breath !!
@Ken Hayden: are you reading these before posting? You don’t care if your plan creates more terrorists and kills more innocent people once eventually they run out of people willing to die.
The law has got to be changed so that expressing sympathy for terrorism or ISIS is enough to put you away for a long time. They have tens of thousands of these guys under surveillance without enough evidence to actually do anything. They have to make it easier. Build detention centres if necessary. As for the lads who actually travel to Syria, should be immediate arrest upon return.
@Fred Jensen: so please list or identify those who are expressing sympathy for terrorism. I know of no one doing that.
Detention is just another name for internment without trial. Preventative justice does not work. It will alienate modern Muslims.
@Tony Daly:
They can have a trial where they are accused of expressing sympathy for radical Islam, and if convicted they are put away.
@Fred Jensen: so who is expressing sympathy for radical Islam, where, when, on what occasion ? Be specific.
Effective intelligence is far more important, of course. Prevention is the right approach.
@Tony Daly: f..k u and ur so called modern muslims …where are they …and what does modern muslims mean ?
@Rachel Alan Stafford: they’re the over 1 billion Muslims that have absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.
Why is there not mass protests against Islamic terror and for the government to act? People will have rally’s and mass protests about Trump becoming president but not when there is something to really protest about like radical Islam . It’s a joke .
@Mumpsimus: there is no point in divisiveness and polarisation.
Londoners and Mancunians showed calm dignity and quiet composure.
What else are they meant to do though ??
Standing in defiance after the event isn’t a whole lot of use tbh. A lot of blood shed and lives lost prior to that point.
London stands not just in defiance but in effective opposition to terrorism by eliminating the 3 terrorists within 8 minutes.
Contain, control and eliminate the terrorists.
Londoners are strong, resilient, calm and determined.
We should not play to the agenda of ISIS by magnifying the risk.
@Tony Daly: kumbaya Tony
@KingBen: there is a religious and dogmatic quality to that mindless chant.
32 men, women and children, mostly members of the same few famillies killed in a U.S airstrike on a school yesterday in Syria. Death toll expected to rise much higher. 44 killed in an airstrike the day before. This is not an excuse for these crazies in london or wherever but it certainly doesnt help. Of course the western media ignore it.
@Seamus Og:
So how did you get to hear about it? Any links?
It’s summer not spring
@Teegan Maguire: Hi Teegan. Yep it’s Summer but you wouldn’t think it would you? (K.Mc)
A documentary last year profiled some of these guys. https://youtu.be/VNGRpKwIAwE
rip to those poor folks just going about their lives, until those disgusting savages put an end to that in the name of mohamad whatever they call him lol
Very sad
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