Government can ease restrictions in stages starting May 5



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The restrictions introduced to deal with Covid-19 can be eased in stages every two to three weeks if efforts to fight the virus are successful, according to plans the government is considering.

However, well-placed sources said that any relief from the restrictions at the end of the current May 5 closing period would be very limited.

Ministers and officials are working on a plan to ease the restrictions, but there is concern in the government about acting too hastily and then having to reintroduce strict measures.

The first phase of the restrictions to be lifted will be “very, very limited,” a source said, adding that even reverting to measures that were in place before an effective closure was introduced on April 12 can be “too drastic.” .

Speaking on RTÉ prime time on Tuesday night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the government will outline its plan before May 5 and that the Cabinet will consider it in late April. He said he hoped to ease the restrictions after May 5, but did not want to give false guarantees.

He said the plan would establish “in different steps” how the economy and society would reopen.

“I think everyone understands that it won’t be done at once, at once,” he said.

Prior to such a move, the government announced Tuesday that it will extend the ban on licensed mass gatherings of more than 5,000 people until the end of August, notifying event organizers that concerts and other festivals were out during the summer.

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