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BUSINESS Minister Heather Humphreys has said companies should start planning for how they can reopen ahead of the government publicising its plans for the gradual lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions.
The minister said she is currently working with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on putting together another package of supports to help businesses get back up and running.
“You should be thinking about contacting staff and looking at ways to use this time to think of innovative ways for your company.
“Be ready and be prepared. We cannot go back until such times are safe.
“I understand there are companies that want to get back to work. We will be making a decision on Friday. We have a plan and it will be finalised in the coming days,” she said.
Humphreys said businesses should start thinking about how they can reopen while adhering to public health guidelines such as social distancing and regular hand washing.
When asked about the plans for reopening the economy and what industries might be in the first phase, the minister said the government would be guided by medical advice.
She said the government was also looking at how people can continue to work at home in some cases.
“What I would say to companies is be ready, be prepared and we want to work with you. We cannot go back until such time as we get the medical advice, and we want to make sure that our priority has always been and will continue to be public health,” said Humphreys.
“I do understand that there are many companies that are out there that are very anxious to get back to work and we certainly will be making a further decision on Friday. In the meantime, we have a plan, it will be finalised, as the Taoiseach has said, in the coming day and there will be an announcement this Friday.”
The minister said that a number of businesses have been in contact about supports, but admitted that there were some delays in processing applications such as for the Microfinance loan.
“We are looking at a number of different supports that we can put in place to make sure that businesses get back up and running again and we’ll be doing that very shortly,” she said.
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Our Government and the HSE are saying all the right things. Please continue to adhere to all advice by Simon Harris, Dr Holohan, Leo etc….they are doing a very good job especially when you consider other nations. There will be the usual haters of course but they all have shown great leadership. Kudos!
@@fplinsider1: The testing has been a.shambles. They’ve been lying about it from the start. Also I wouldn’t compare us to other countries even if we were doing well which we’re not.
@Louis Jacob: there will always be haters that believe they can do a better job I suppose
@@fplinsider1: nope they are haters who expect better from our very well paid elected officials and experts. The lockdown has been a success. They have done very well there. Lack of testing and contact tracing have been abysmal. There is still no quarantining of new arrivals to the island and Leo Varadkar is acting more like a model than a Taoiseach these days.
@@fplinsider1: they are doing poorly compared to most other countries excluding the US and the UK.
@@fplinsider1: You changed tack with a handy strawman there.
@@fplinsider1: Well said. So many on here criticising Leo, Simon etc. They are doing a really good job in my view in very exceptional circumstances.
@Fionn Darland: They’re not sacred cows. We’ll express our opinions about them as we see fit. We all have to deal with this.
@@fplinsider1:
Well done Simon, Leo and Tony, thanks for keeping us out of the worst 7 in the world in terms of deaths per 100,000 in countries with populations above 100,000. 8th is grand.
And hard luck with the nursing homes. That was just bad luck. You did your best and doing your best is good enough for all your supporters and their alter IDs in the comments here and on twitter.
@@fplinsider1: yeah Simon ni ni nineteen Harris, and Johnny catch up Varadkar
@Fionn Darland: shuda gone to spec savers then
Bring back the snugs in the pubs!
@Simon O Flaherty: they where days my friend
@Simon O Flaherty:
And the thumbs down option.
@Dave Nomates: dead right, it will be like 2012 all over. Hop on the nostalgic train to previous decade. This new one is a pile of shite.
I work in non essential retail in Dublin City and no, customers are not to be trusted to social distance. I don’t know how browsing based businesses are going to work.
@King Willie’s Voodoo Gang: Same way food retail is working now. Limited number of customers allowed in, protection for staff in the form of ppe, screens, etc. Most people will comply with the measures, some will not. It’s an unfortunate reality but we can’t keep everything locked up indefinitely because some people are too ignorant to follow basic instructions. You can’t fix stupid.
When you have young children, clothes shops quickly become an essential service after 6 or 7 weeks of a growth spurt. They can’t stay shut forever
It’s solid physics. You either have to to social distance or you don’t. The issue is how much trust they’re prepared to put in the public. And there’s only one way to find that out.
@Louis Jacob: *either you have the room to social distance or you dont.
There seems to be mixed messages coming from different depts, we are not out of this yet, Germanys relaxing of lockdown meant their rate of infection shot up not by much but enough to get worried for Ireland
@David Dineen: Dont exaggerate. It went up by 0.1 percent. That is going to happen no matter what.
@Louis Jacob: that’s the reinfection rate, and it’s risen by 0.26 not 0.1, which is a 40% rise from 0.7 where it was, remember exponential growth problems?
@Colm Durkan: ** reproduction rate
@Colm Durkan: we’ve been told from the beginning that while we want to get it as low as possible, anything below 1 is acceptable to loosen restrictions. Of course its going to rise. Everywhere I’ve read has said 0.1
@Louis Jacob: but at 0.96 and growing closer to 1 from a negative position, with 40% growth within a short space of time, is intuitively bad. You’re implying that it’s within a natural wobble, but you wouldn’t call a 40% deviation a “wobble”
@Colm Durkan: As Germany lockdown eases, spread of coronavirus worsens
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/germany-lockdown-eases-spread-coronavirus-worsens-200428075843362.html
Also As Germany Eases Lockdown Restrictions, Coronavirus Infection Rate Rises
https://www.newsweek.com/germany-eases-lockdown-restrictions-coronavirus-infection-rate-rises-1500648
@Louis Jacob: their infection pass rate is above 1 that what worries all not overall cases
Hope they bring decisive direction to the hairdressing industry ie either you can open, or not open. Because apart from PPE it’s impossible to distance from your customers.
@David Smith: Whatever rules currently being applied to the hairdressers of Ministers and RTE Broadcasters should suffice
A friend of mine is working in a factory in Galway non essential but a large multi national and they are still open, no room for social distancing where as where I work is closed despite plenty of room
Seems to be 1 rule for some and an other for others
@tom forde: same in Dublin and cork. Call centres seem to have immunity. Unlike the people who work in them
Either have the room to social distance or you dont.
Let’s have some happy news.
@Peter Coen: I had a very relaxing day today
They really need to look at the social distancing queue systems which are already in place. A lot of these are poorly marked and some are spaced up to 1m apart or less. Standing in these queues for extended periods of time, downwind from a carrier seems risky to me. Oneway systems in shops, with people keeping the customers moving is the way to go. It is not a time for casual shopping or browsing.
All for adhering to guidelines, but not business out there working is a company, and further supports should not be ways to increase the debt of a business.
Pondering how her hair stylist was able to social distance from her?
We cannot be a nation of cowards its time to get on with it .A war was never won by hiding under the bed. Not everyone should be in lockdown . All us workers who work mainly outdoors should not be in lock down. Wear your masks if needed.
The country is facing total ruin by continuing this full lockdown.
Are they rules or is it advice?
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: Definitely not rules big business has been running their response from the start.
Well they are hardly planning to stay closed. From the second we closed we were planning to reopen
have your say