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THE GOVERNMENT’S NEW roadmap for ‘Living with Covid’ will include a colour-coded, five-level system to indicate what public health measures are in place in different areas of the country at any given time.
The long-mooted plan – set to replace the original roadmap set out by Leo Varadkar on 1 May – will be announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Tuesday.
Martin has said that as we are now moving “into a second phase” of the pandemic we must have a plan for how to live with the virus for the next six months.
The plan, it’s been promised, will be “all-encompassing” and will set out clearly the restrictions that will apply at each colour-coded level for social gatherings, sport, travel, entertainment, and work.
It’s envisaged that different areas around the country could have different colours or levels on any given day depending on instances of Covid-19.
Level One will be the lowest while Level Five will be the most serious – which would possibly see lockdown measures akin to those at the start of the pandemic being reimposed. Level Four would be similar to the recent restrictions implemented in Kildare, Laois and Offaly.
A number of ministers have stated that localised restrictions are the way forward from now on in order to get the country back on its feet, and for a degree of normality to be returned to peoples’ lives.
The plan, which has been formulated with the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), will also outline clear criteria setting out when localised restrictions could be implemented.
Restrictions could be imposed depending on various factors – but the key criteria will be the amount of new cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period, rather than daily cases.
Hospital numbers, ICU cases and the number of deaths recorded will also be key metrics.
Next week’s plan will offer a framework with “simple messaging”, the Taoiseach has said.
Government ministers say it is important the plan is honest and transparent and draws a line under the mixed-messaging of recent weeks.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath has said the current restrictions and guidance related to Covid-19 remains in place until the government publishes the medium-term plan on Tuesday.
The measures announced last month had originally been due to expire tomorrow.
Travel
Reopening international travel will form a key part of the plan with the Government likely to opt into the European Commission’s new system of colour-coded countries and regions.
That proposal would see zones classified as green, amber or red based on Covid-19 rates.
Travellers returning from green countries would not have to quarantine. The Taoiseach has already confirmed that the country’s Green List will not be updated and a new scheme for travel will be included in the new plan.
The Department of Foreign Affairs currently advises against non-essential travel overseas. However, travel to a very limited set of locations – named on that Green list – is exempted from this advice.
Individuals arriving into Ireland from Green List countries do not have to restrict their movements upon entry into the country.
The Tánaiste has said that the Irish government would like for people to be able to travel abroad to visit loved ones for Christmas.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has already confirmed that randomised testing is to be rolled out as part of a suite of measures at the airports.
“It is not our objective to test 30%, 40% or 50%. It is not a mass testing measure. It is part of one of the measures that we are bringing in,” he said.
Reopening pubs
The plan will also outline that pubs can reopen on 21 September, but with restrictions in place. Pubs in some areas, perhaps in Dublin and Limerick, where cases are high, may be required to stay closed for longer.
Arts Minister Catherine Martin said this week that live performances and singing will be allowed in pubs when they reopen.
In terms of sports, it is understood that more spectators will be allowed to attend matches. There has been many criticisms about the numbers permitted to attend games, but it is believed a few hundred people will be allowed to attend sporting events under the new plan.
The plan will also outline how the arts will function over the next few months, with an increase in attendees allowed to attend theatres and concerts.
Dublin and Limerick
The other big announcement that is due on Tuesday is whether restrictions will be imposed on Dublin and Limerick.
Restrictions on visits to households in Dublin were a key recommendation from NPHET to the government during the week.
It follows a spike of Covid-19 cases in the capital. Public health officials have recommended to Government that only six people, from two other households, instead of three other households will be allowed visit a home at any one time, TheJournal.ie understands.
The Government has said that recommendations will not be announced until next week, with ministers warning that any restrictions in Dublin must be justified if they are more drastic than those in place in other European capitals.
It’s up to the Government to decide to agree to NPHET’s recommendations, or to make additional recommendations.
If accepted by the Cabinet on Tuesday afternoon, the measures would be introduced for three weeks in Dublin.
The government is keen to get the messaging around the plan and new measures clear this time, after being slammed this week by opposition TDs for the handling of recent announcements.
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Christ, my skins crawling after reading that.
The “love both” people will be delighted that she gave birth at age 10.
@Baltimore Lass: Here is a disgusting statistic from India ; A child under 10 is raped every 13 hours..
@Baltimore Lass: A cruel comment, nobody irrespective of their position would hold with the rape and resulting pregnancy of a young child, there are two child victims of this horror and whether it was a family member or other, someone is clearly abusing this little girl, all right thinking people would want such criminals apprehended and incarcerated, point scoring over this child’s suffering is in bad taste.
@Honeybee: Don’t be daft.You have so called “pro life” human rights activists in this country,who would fight tooth and nail for that 10 year old,to be forced to give birth…Baltimore Lass is spot on!
@Gerri Sant0r0: Baltimore lass stated people would be ‘delighted’ to see a ten year old give birth, really, you think anyone would be ‘delighted’ at such trauma and abuse?
@Honeybee :Where have you been hiding ? Didn’t you know that once that 10 year old child became pregnant,then she must give birth,according to those that ‘love both’? Marion ,where are you?
@Francis Mc Carthy: Typical of the pro choice side scoring points from a tragedy. Of the c.200000 abortions carried out in GB last year, how many were due to rape and incest? Carry-on making political football out these awful tragedies and show people how really hypocritical the pro choice side is. No ProLife person sees anything here to be celebrated.
Daniel : Do you believe that that 10 year old child should have a choice of ending that pregnancy in Ireland ?
@Daniel Dunne: And to answer your question,I will never know how many were for rape/incest,and the reason for this,is that rape is under-reported.And your lot are not “pro life” ..Your lot are ‘pro-mental torture’ ‘pro forced birth’ ‘pro death’ ..Away with yah.
@Daniel Dunne: They celebrated the incarceration, force feeding and forced caesarian of a rape victim as a “positive outcome”,
If a 10 year old Irish girl was pregnant, the 8th amendment would force her to give birth. A blunt instrument that tortures women and girls in this country if they can’t afford to travel.
India is a medieval society.
@Emmet Dillane: and Ireland is not
@Emmet Dillane: India would have allowed an abortion up to 20 weeks. Ireland, under the 8th amendment would have forced this child to give birth regardless.
It gets sicker and sicker. This little girl is going to need a lot of help and support. And the men who raped her need to be punished and then a lot more punishment.
That poor little girl … heart goes out to the child
To attempt to fathom the depth of trauma this little girl has gone through is horrifying. I truly hope she is receives the psychological support she will need.
Cases like these highlight the necessity in stengthening the global campaign against all forms of sexual violence.
“DNA results have led to suspicions that she may have been abused by others”. Looks like Sherlock is on the case.
India really have some the brightest people on this planet but then you hear these stories and think they have also the worst type of people on the planet and a crazy functioning society.
I seem to remember after the whole Savita Halipanavaar story that there were a lot of guest commentators from India in the liberal faction of the Irish media slating Irish healthcare, attitudes and law. We were supposed to be a backward society according to them and yet this kind of thing happens in their backyard all the time with no sign of them now and their ironic comments. It’s only a few months ago that rats got into a baby ward in a hospital in India and ate the face of a new born baby.
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