Five things you won’t be able to do until well into 2021 in Ireland

Almost six months have passed since Leo Varadkar announced to the nation that we would enter a total lockdown.

He told millions of people across the country on March 27 that strict travel limits would be set along with many other restrictions.

However, at last, the Government’s publication of a new ‘Living with Covid’ roadmap on Tuesday offers some hope, as it shows us what kind of restrictions we face in the medium term.

Unfortunately, it also makes clear exactly what we’ll have to do without well into 2021, at the earliest.

Even in the best of cases, the following activities will not be allowed for the next six to eight months, according to the new roadmap:

Hundreds of wedding guests

Level one is the lowest level of restrictions in the ‘Living with Covid’ plan, but even at this stage, only a maximum of 100 people will be allowed to attend a wedding ceremony and reception.

Thousands of fans in stadiums

At level one, only a maximum of 500 people can attend open-air stadiums, and these venues must have a minimum capacity of at least 5,000.

Currently, at Level Two, only 200 spectators are allowed in these venues.

Big meetings at home

Even under the lowest level of restrictions, you will only be allowed up to 10 visitors from three different households in your home or garden.

Currently only six visitors from up to three households are allowed, except in Dublin, where the limit is just one other household.

Discos, discos and casinos

While wet pubs may finally reopen in most counties starting September 21, this is not the case for nightclubs.

They, along with nightclubs and casinos, will not be able to reopen even if we reach Level One of the Government roadmap. There is no indication as to when they will be allowed to open their doors once again.

Crowded pubs and bars

Going back to the days when pubs and bars were packed with revelers seems a long, long way off. Unsurprisingly, the ‘Living with Covid’ plan makes it clear that physical distancing, table service, and capacity limits must be followed at all times in pubs, whether they serve food or not. This is very unlikely to change before we have a vaccine.