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FROM MONDAY, SOME BUSINESS and retail outlets will be re-opening – but they’ll look a little different from how you remember them.
Today, Minister for Health Simon Harris spoken for many people when he said that never before in Irish history has there been such excitement about going to a garden centre.
But, he warned that “the opening of the garden centre isn’t the danger”.
“It’s how we decide to behave when we go there.”
So, alongside garden centres, what retail outlets are re-opening?
In a letter from the National Public Health Emergency Team to the government, the body recommended that “retail outlets that are primarily outdoor” will be allowed to re-open.
That means garden centres, farmers’ markets and hardware stores can open once again.
Crucially homeware outlets will not reopen yet, despite being named on the government’s roadmap as shops that could re-open in Phase One.
Asked about the distinction between homeware and hardware, Harris said that homeware wasn’t necessarily an urgent thing to re-open.
“If you need to buy new curtains, it can wait a couple of weeks,” Harris said.
Business minister Heather Humphreys acknowledged that some hardware outlets sell homeware, but said that “if you’re predominantly a hardware shop you can stay open and sell the products”.
Only stores that are providing homeware in a way that is “incidental” can re-open in phase one
“If you have a hardware shop and happen to have a small homeware section, you’re allowed to sell,” she said.
Swedish furniture giant Ikea intended to reopen its two Dublin stores on Monday but cancelled its plans following the Government’s homeware distinction today.
The Ballymun and Carrickmines stores will remain closed for the time being.
What else?
Opticians and optometrists can now open on a full-time basis, alongside anywhere that provides hearing test and hearing aid services.
Businesses that are involved in the “sale, supply and repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles” can also re-open fully, while shops selling office products can return to operation too.
The government also announced that shops that sell and repair electrical, IT and phone devices can re-open fully too.
Inspection
Businesses will be expected to follow all public health guidance, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said today.
There’ll be a dedicated staff member or ‘warden’ on each site who’ll take charge of ensuring that social distancing and other measures are being followed.
Overseeing the new regulatory regime will be the Health and Safety Authority, which will inspect businesses and ensure compliance.
“The objective isn’t going to be to shut down businesses, it’s to help people comply,” Varadkar said.
He acknowledged that there will be a learning curve and even “teething problems”.
“I’ve no doubt that’s on Monday morning and by Tuesday we will see images in the media and social media of things happening in workplaces that shouldn’t be happening, that’s what has happened in other countries as they’ve opened up too,” he said.
“The approach will be to encourage require businesses workplaces to comply in the first couple of days. And if they don’t, then enforcement can happen, including the closure of businesses, including prosecution and fines.”
“But we’re not going to leap to that,” he said.
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The public service will finally bankrupt this country once and for all. The money just isn’t there to meet their demands. Unless the Government can raise money through taxing the private sector workers or raising corporation tax, there is no way this money can be paid. Then again a Government desperate to get re-elected are capable of doing anything to hold on to power. The unions are well aware of when the best time to declare war is.
@jo mixon: It’s the Consultants on big money who are draining the system not the hardworking nurses imo.
@ianglen: And why is 1 in 5 consultant jobs unfilled?
Perhaps you should campaign for further pay cuts for consultants ?
ANd any that dont like it can go off to Canada/Australia.
@jo mixon: Weel . They found the money to give the banks a 30 year tax write off.
@jo mixon: And there’s way too many clipboards managers as well. Morale isn’t good among hospital staff atm.
@ianglen: anyone who believes this is an idiot.
@jo mixon: yep the public service ie people who live work and spend in this country as unlike nama bondholders banks developers tax exiles and the other fuxxers who have had free run protected by government ask my hole merry xmas fg trolls
@ianglen: actually..healthcare workers are are team, we work together to care for our patients and it is an insult when ignorant comments such as this are made. I am an NCHD and work 80+hour weeks. I will leaving Ireland in July to Canada…leaving my family and friends in Ireland..this is not for money, but for a decent work life balance and a better system. I will be supporting my nursing colleagues as they strike. The system needs to change and the public needs to stop pointing fingers at those healthcare workers in it; we all work hard to do our best in a system stretched beyond its limits.
Duties above their original description. Bloody unions will co.e up with any inventive way of saying we want more money . Black hole of a health service. Cost multiples of the bus in Manchester and services the same amount of people where is the logic.
@john s: exactly, wont fix or go in any way to solve the mess that is the HSE and the inefficiences in that system which results in suffering for everyone
People blame consultants. Consultants are amazing, not when you have to fork in 150 euro for a consultancy,but when your life is in their hands. They are people that fix people. They face more decisions in a week, than a bank CEO and get paid less. I would hate their job.
This problem is on repeat now, Wage Inflation. We have an artificial property bubble that is driven by lack of supply. It is the source of all our ills at the moment. Money is the means to make things more affordable, but the driver is affordability.
Insurance, mortgage rates, house prices, we’re like an out of shape flabby tiger.
It will tank the economy, it tanked it before. It depends on Government action and leadership they need put about 2Bn into a NAMA style build project. This will just get worse and the strikes and protests will continue. We all sign into a private/public economic stability model, where the government delivers affordable housing as a core tenet and freely fully opens sectors such as insurance etc., mortgage rates. This public worker, private workers is nonsense, we all live here.
Remember the New children’s Hospital is running close to a billion over cost which also has to be paid the whole system is f##} up
Follow a consultation, Dr, Nurse and hca for a week at work and tell me that 99% don’t deserve a good wage compared to all the other fu#k wits in the HSE and other government departments.
Leo our leader was in charge of Health for a while and did SFA and
watch as he performs the same act again as the unions walk all over him
Blame the unions, blame the consultants, blame the public service. Such other and total rubbish.
The problems have been pointed out repeatedly by the unions and the nurses and the unions and even the patients and have been ignored by government for years,
The hard working private sector pay for everything. Wrong guess what public servants pay tax as well.
The HSE and Dept of Health is top heavy and technically in the dark ages as regards records and such. The actual part of the system of curing and helping people works well its the admin and management that costs so much.
Doctors should do doctors work and managers manage the business. At times its the other way around.
Take it apart and start again is the only solution
Britain spends 125 billion with 70 million people we spend 20 billion with 4 million people. I suppose some Numpties are going to tell me that Britain are spending too little ???? Doing the math that means Britain should spend a 2.2 trillion. Scary isnt it ????
@Marcus o Dhonnghaile: £127 ( 142 billion euro) billion spend is on England alone ( pop 55 million).
Irish population is 4.7 million HSE spend is 17 billion.
Not sure where you are getting the 2.2 trillion?
I find this scary, but for different reasons.
have your say