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HEALTH MINISTER SIMON Harris has said that while he hopes that restrictions placed upon the Irish public can be lifted at the beginning of May, we will “not see a significant lifting of restrictions” at this time.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, Harris said it’s important “not to erase the progress the Irish people have made” to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 as lifting all the restrictions could lead to the number of cases rising sharply again.
The public has been faced with restrictions for well over a month now, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar first announcing schools, colleges and public institutions would close on 12 March.
Later that month, wider restrictions were brought in for a large majority of the population to remain at home. Current exceptions to leaving home include essential workers travelling to work, and people going to shops for essential items, for vital family healthcare reasons or to take physical exercise within a 2km radius.
These restrictions will remain in place until 5 May at the earliest, and gardaí have special powers to arrest people who don’t comply with their instructions on the public health guidelines.
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland is 13,271, and 486 people have died from the virus here.
Health officials said last night that the reproduction rate of the virus – the number of people who are infected by someone who has the virus – is now between 0.7 and 1.0. If this figure remains below one and continues to fall, it’ll mean that the virus isn’t being passed to other people.
Harris said this morning that the original reproduction rate of the virus was 4.7 – meaning one person infected almost five other people on average – last month and the fall to where it is now is “quite incredible”.
Lifting restrictions placed upon Irish people on the back of this progress will be “complex, delicate” and involve “trial and error” according to the health minister.
“If you just lifted the restrictions, this curve would shoot right back up,” Harris said. “We’re not going to erase the progress the Irish people have made.
We would like to put in place a plan for gradual easing of restrictions.
Harris said this gradual easing will not involve us going back to life “as we knew it” straight away.
He said he’d like to see the gradual easing of restrictions as a “dividend” to the people of Ireland for the action they’ve taken during the crisis.
“In the first week of May, you will not see a significant lifting of restrictions,” he said, adding that if the ICU numbers continue to stabilise and the reproduction rate continues to fall then it’s hoped that the easing of restrictions can be begin.
We’ll have to monitor it carefully. We don’t want to go the way of Italy, or Spain or the UK. That means staying the course.
“It will be led by Dr Tony Holohan,” Harris added. “Public health is priority number one, two and three in that regard.”
A sample of 20 properties out of 48,000 can hardly be considered representative of the total, that is only 0.04%. To have a 95% confidence level, normal in statistics, the sample size should be over 100 times greater, about 2,000 properties.
@D. Memery: Sure that would likely cost billions just to complete the surveys!
@Chris Linehan: not sure it would be billions, but not cheap either, which in of itself highlights just how big the issue is. However, that still doesn’t diminish the fact that the report lacks any statistical foundation from which to draw valid empirical conclusions from such a small sample size compared to what is required.
Every town and village in the country has derelict /vacant properties.. they may not be derilict , but it’s a shame to see them empty.. I would love to see the properties chosen for this survey.
@Daniel Morrissey: it is a shame – but many are in the wrong place to assist with the homeless housing list despite the fact that many small villages could do with an injection of residents
@Daniel Morrissey: Many of which should be razed to the ground and a building with a suitable layout put back in it’s place. The trouble is, these properties are an expensive site so buyers are not interested – and often the owners don’t have the funds to carry out the work. Renovating them doesn’t appeal either because the costs are as much as the aforementioned replace and build. Then add in the stringent planning laws and people just say it’s not worth it. It’s a vicious circle.
Sure derelict buildings are costly to repair, but where and what type of ones. The ones with 50 acre land close to Dublin that nobody can buy bar the crony friend in government / council member / builder… who will get 100.000 free renovation ticket?
I can smell the trickery being cook!
Cpo them , put them up for auction and let the market decide , anyone not developing them within 3 years forfeits the property and what they paid back to the state
Of course a property that is not suitable for living in is exempt from LPT – local property tax – so the idea of paying someone to repair a property sounds great on paper but suddenly this property becomes liable to a tax that did not apply before. One would also be well advised to insure the property. There are ongoing maintenance charges Also, if one rents the property after renovation, one is faced with more taxes and responsibility and also the prospect of not being able to sell the property because of sitting tenants. Why not lease them to the local authority who then become responsible for repair and maintenance and all charges etc. not to mention being able to give homes to people on the housing list
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: I see where are you coming from Niall, do you think that if somebody has building connections or even a company, they could take the 50.000 or 100.000 free to renovate the house nicely, sell it to or even better rent it to the local authority that as you said “have people in the housing list” for a nice price, and pocket the money over and over and over… one house at a time or 50.
Another advantage will be that renovating cost less most times than building from scratch but you can sell it for the same market value pretty much. Better margin! Sounds like a great business to me.
Buildings not suitable for renovation should be forfeited to the state at site value. That might make the owners renovate them on time.
@Tom O’Hanlon: Unfair on owners who just don’t have the funds to renovate.
Total lies, fantastic Herbert Sims buildings lying idle in Ballybough under the shadow of Croke Park and have been for years not sure how many families they could house.
have your say