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MONDAY WILL SEE the further easing of Covid-19 restrictions at an accelerated rate from the previous roadmap, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calling next week’s stage “Phase Two Plus”.
At the start of May, Varadkar announced a five-step plan for lifting the measures put in place by the government to slow the spread of Covid-19. That five-step plan has been condensed down to four and a number of measures have been brought forward.
Full details of the plan can be read here.
First off, public health advice is still for people to avoid unnecessary journeys and to continue to work from home if possible.
As part of the accelerated roadmap, people will be permitted to travel anywhere within their own county, or up to 20km from home, whichever is greater from Monday.
The government is stressing that, while restrictions on travel and on many activities have been eased, people should “stay local”.
In terms of social visits, up to six people from different households can meet up both indoors and outdoors for a short period while maintaining strict social distancing. This is a change from the original government roadmap where just four people were allowed to meet.
Social visits also apply to the over 70s and medically vulnerable who can welcome a small number of people to their home. People are advised to wear face coverings and gloves during these visits.
There is to be a phased reintroduction of visiting at nursing homes, starting on June 15 in homes that put in place required protocols
This is the first time since lockdown measures were introduced in Ireland that people can visit their family in their respective homes. Social distancing must still be adhered to. The advice is to respect the two-metre distancing which we have all become accustomed to over the last 12 weeks.
Up to 25 immediate family and close friends may attend funeral services for loved ones from Monday. A maximum of 10 people were permitted to attend a funeral since mid-March.
Organised outdoor exercise, sporting, cultural or social activities of up to 15 people may also take place.
People should only use public transport if they absolutely need to. Public transport capacity is limited because of social distancing requirements. It is still recommended that face coverings be worn on public transport and in public places, such as shops.
Most retailers will be able to open their doors from Monday, while shopping centres will also be able to open from 15 June.
Opening times will be staggered to relieve pressure on public transport and retailers will also provide dedicated hours for those who are over 70 or in an at-risk group.
The government is asking that people shop locally, shop safely and support businesses in their community.
All businesses that are reopening will have to comply with the government’s mandatory return-to-work health and safety protocols and ensure strict adherence to social distancing rules.
In terms of cultural and social measures, public libraries with limited numbers can reopen.
Some good news for kids, the country’s playgrounds are due to reopen Monday, with NPHET recommending they be “supervised and regularly cleaned by local authorities”.
However, Dublin City Council has said it won’t be reopening any of its facilities until it receives further clarification from the government as it “does not operate supervised playgrounds”.
Outdoor summer camps will also be allowed to operate for secondary school children – once there are no more than 15 people involved.
“Importantly, primary school-age children are still attending primary school until the end of Phase 2 and therefore it would not be appropriate for them to attend summer camps,” NPHET noted in their advice to government.
In terms of sport, groups of up to 15 people, including trainers and coaches, may return to non-contact outdoor training activity (but not matches) while maintaining social distancing at all times.
High-performance athletes and their support staff will also be permitted to resume training at specific locations.
Greyhound racing and horse racing is to resume behind doors from Monday. The Irish Greyhound Board confirmed they have arranged a schedule of trials to commence on Monday 8 June at all 14 greyhound tracks
Pubs will remain closed for Phased Two but will be able to reopen on 29 June once they serve food. For pubs to open on this date, they must operate a table service and adhere to social distancing rules.
All other pubs can reopen on 20 July – three weeks earlier than originally planned.
Restaurants and cafes will reopen as originally planned on 29 June.
Barbers, hairdressers, and nail salons will remain shut until 20 July as their work involves “almost face-to-face contact” which makes it a “high-risk engagement”.
Couples hoping to get married will also have to wait a little longer for news of when weddings can resume. The original government roadmap stated that small weddings would be permitted by 20 July.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said there were no specific recommendations around weddings for Phase Two, but they will be under consideration for either phase three or four.
Tourism and hospitality sectors are planned to return on 29 June in an effort to see the return of domestic tourism in the country.
Varadkar said he hoped that all going to plan, hotels, restaurants, hostels, caravan parks, galleries and museums will reopen on 29 June. It is anticipated that places of worship will also be able to reopen from this point.
Although the final phase of the easing of restrictions has been brought forward to 20 July, the ban on mass gatherings may remain “well into the autumn.”
As previously mentioned, Varadkar announced the acceleration of the roadmap this evening, meaning there will now be four phases of easing restrictions, rather than five.
Phase Three will begin on 29 June and Phase Four will start on 20 July.
It’s planned that all travel restrictions will be scrapped on 29 June.
As always, the beginning of each phase will be kept under constant review and there is a chance that restrictions that have previously been lifted could be re-imposed.
Looking ahead to 29 June, in order for the country to move into Phase Three the five “trigger criteria” laid out in the government’s roadmap must be met.
Decision-making on these transitions will be based on:
Varadkar said the decision to accelerate the easing of restrictions was made based on the medical evidence and the recommendations of NPHET and government reports on the economic and social impact of Covid-19.
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Such a shame. I visited Tunisia 3 years ago with my wife and had an amazing week. Fabulous food and culture, bright and engaging locals, beautiful hotels and beaches. Everything you could want in a holiday resort. The Tunisians have worked tirelessly toward a democracy and the country has been in a really good place of late.
It’s a real shame to see the murderous intentions of the radical few having such an effect on a great nation of good people who deserve better.
More than a ‘radical few’ I suspect, there are hundreds of Tunisians with Isis fighting in Syria and they are getting their training in Libya. It is right for tourists to know what the stakes are when planning their holidays in the Middle East and North Africa. According to Ch4 news Gaza is being infiltrated by Isis and attacking the borders between Egypt and Israel.
what a shame for the people of the country who depend on the tourists.
If I was there, and I was advised to leave by security people/dept of foreign affairs, I would definitely leave.
Having said that, part of me feels that, by leaving the country, the terrorists win. And that sucks big time.
No brainer in fairness.
Discussed on the radio earlier, would seem that your travel insurance will not now cover you in Tunisia.
Don’t worry, you won’t have to travel to North Africa to find Islamic terror. The LÉ Eithne is bringing it here to Europe.
It occurs to me that as Westerners are not safe to travel to Tunisia now, as it’s such a tourism dependent country, it’d be great if large numbers of Muslims booked holidays there…………… . It’d keep the tourism economy going in Tunisia and it’d also be a protest against those who abuse Islam for their own barbaric aims..
Right now i’d say Tunisia is one of the safest places on the planet. Tourists stop going, the locals lose their jobs and ISIS swoops in to scoop up the disaffected unemployed, Crazy .
So by your reckoning if a fanatical muslim shooots dead nearly 40 innocent tourists, who are merely enjoying the hospitality of the local scenery and people, then the local population will blame the western tourists for the resultant loss in jobs etc, and this will result in further radicalisation and death.
If this is the case the I think Declan Nerny said it best….”stop the world and let me off!”
Ps, those are his only lyrics I know. Don’t judge me!
“To think “LONG”and hard”?What a contriction of the warning, wouldn’t want to take too long now wouldn’t that be in itself risky? !
Lots of liked palm leaf comments getting likes but if that’s your thing c’est la vie.
For the department of foreign affairs to come out with such wisdom now is rather shameful! We have navy assets in the area but we’re operating with zero intel against local elements trafficking and worse!
Solution – Rangers on the ships, strike where there’s doubt and perhaps apologise later but we won’t be burying 3 or more innocents from overseas!
Closer to home is where all other assets should be placed!
That’s a silly statement. The warning is based on UK intelligence. Our ship in the Mediterranean is not on a war mission,to do what you suggest would mean big trouble for us back home.
Exactly because it’s based on UK intel is why I said the Dept of F.A. are clowns – if their threat levels are to be solely based on UK intel they could merely retweet the UK statements and we could sack the PR person. SAve the country 40k maybe.
I’m for proper action against terrorists. No thing as being neutral in such circumstances or thinking a white flag will protect us. I still feel ill at the thought that during the Gadaffi overthrow, the Irish media were supporting those that have become ISIS. Even giving several young men air time on the likes of Joe Duffy. Can’t bury our heads in the sand about this as these mofo’s aren’t going away anytime soon!
Chicinho has watched one two many action movies – as cool as it would be to have the Army Ranger Wing go in an take out ISIS.
have your say