Govt confident of easing restrictions on Monday

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is increasingly confident about being able to move to Phase One of lifting the Covid-19 restrictions on Monday.

He told the Dáil that the National Public Health Emergency Team will meet today to conduct its assessment and Cabinet will make a decision tomorrow after it receives its advice.

In Phase One up to four people who do not live together can meet outdoors while keeping at least 2 meters apart, while shops that are primarily outdoor, such as garden centers, hardware stores or farmers’ markets, can reopen so long as social distancing measures can be put in place.

Mr Varadkar said that thanks to the majority of people following the guidelines we have slowed the virus.

The Taoiseach said the Government’s mission is to get businesses open again and get the economy “humming” so we have the resources we need to build a better society.

He said the first steps to re-awaken the economy will be done slowly and at all times there will be an intense focus on the virus.

He said four guiding principles will be followed – isolate, test, trace and treat – so we can quickly react if things go wrong and if there is an increase in cases.

The Taoiseach likened the virus to a fire in retreat and said we must quench its every spark.

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Mr Varadkar said that we need to be vigilant about workplace clusters as businesses reopen.

He said the Health and Safety Authority will help businesses to achieve compliance in a co-operative manner but will close workplaces if necessary.

I’ve pointed out that we may see an increase in the reproductive rate of the virus as we ease restrictions.

The Taoiseach said after 18 May we must be more disciplined and act more responsibility than ever before when it comes to vital public health actions.

He said all people arriving in ports and airports must complete a public health passenger locator form and self-isolate for 14 days.

Mr Varadkar said must remember that we have a land border with Northern Ireland that we want to keep open.

He said we common travel area with the UK that we want to preserve and our right as Europeans citizens to travel anywhere in the EU that we want to uphold.

He said it is our policy to resume normal travel as soon as it is safe to do so but it would be months and not weeks before this is possible.

He said Covid-19 has hit our country very hard, but as we reopen we have the opportunity to reshape our society in ways that will benefit our citizens for years to come, with increased home working, online education, e-health, lower emissions and cleaner air.

Issue of face coverings must be addressed – Martin

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said the question of whether people should wear face masks has gone on for “too long” and has to be addressed for once and for all.

He said fears that the introduction of a face covering policy would undermine the supply of PPE “seem overblown, when you see the impact on many other countries.”

Mr Martin also said it was “no surprise” that a proposed scheme to provide childcare to frontline healthcare workers was suspended because of a small take up among providers.

I’ve told the Dáil that he previously raised concerns about the sector not being included in drawing up the plan.

“The failure to include childcare professionals in discussions about the design of childcare supports for frontline workers was a fatal weakness in the government’s approach,” he said.

“As such, no one was surprised by the announcement that the scheme has been suspended because only nine providers were willing to participate,” he said.

Mr Martin said the Oireachtas should be brought back to normal functioning as much as possible, in keeping with public health guidelines.

“There are many critical areas where oversight and debate are required. Deputies are eager to fulfil their mandates more effectively,” he said.



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