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Ireland is due to come out of the current Level Five lockdown on December 1, but we don’t yet know what restrictions will follow.
Currently, officials are reluctant to publicly commit to a firm position until the disease’s profile becomes clearer towards the end of the month.
A final decision is not expected until NPHET meets on Thursday, November 26 to make a recommendation to the government, and the Cabinet is likely to meet shortly thereafter.
However, here are the top four options that seem to be on the table right now:
1. Modified level three
This appears to be the current favorite, with Taoiseach Micheal Martin raising the possibility of a “modified” Level Three several times in recent days.
The Fianna Fail leader stated this week that he has long been looking at Level Three as a target for December 1, but added that he would also look at “certain areas and sectors” and make modifications.
He told RTE Radio One on Friday: “We are going to have to look specifically at that sector and within that sector the different categories of licensed restaurants, hotels and venues, no decisions have been made yet.
“We have made it very clear that we want to get to the end of November and write down the numbers. We will make our plans known to people before the end of November so that people can make preparations.
“We are doing a considerable degree of research and we are learning what will work best for us.”
On the wet bars, he continued: “It’s a challenge and it doesn’t make sense to say it’s not a challenging sector, it is, and there are real problems there. A lot of people went to great lengths to comply and adhere, but others didn’t.” t, and there were consequences.
“We have an exit plan at the end of this month, we will take it and see how we are doing.”
He added that he hoped the churches would be open for Christmas week.
2. Modified level two
Despite the Taoiseach’s fondness for a modified Level Three, some politicians within Fianna Fail have been calling for a move towards a modified Level Two.
This would immediately allow travel throughout the country, as well as the opening of almost all pubs and restaurants.
Fianna Fail’s Cormac Devlin joined several colleagues who expressed a “strong sentiment” at a party meeting that we should aim for a modified version of Level Two.
Dun Laoghaire’s TD told RTE Radio One: “Several people have contacted me and my colleagues and they are looking for a little hope, they have made really tremendous sacrifices.
“There has to be an adjustment of whatever level we go to. Ideally for many of us we would prefer to go to Level Two, but Level Two with adjustments.
“We have seen Level Three, where according to the Living with Covid plan changes were made in Dublin.
(Image: Gareth Chaney / Collins)
“We must bear in mind that in mid-September Dublin went to Three-plus and there were quite significant restrictions for Dubliners.”
He continued: “We just have to try to give people hope that from Level Five, due to the harsh restrictions we have been through for three weeks now, we really want to aim as much as possible to ease the restrictions.
“I think we did all of this before Christmas, there are social, economic and religious elements to consider.”
3. Regional restrictions
The Taoiseach has refused to rule out regional restrictions as a way to combat the spread of the virus.
The Fianna Fail leader said he “would prefer” a national approach, but said he was “concerned” about the numbers in Donegal in particular.
Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan has also raised Donegal as a problem area in terms of suppressing the spread of the virus.
He said last week: “We still have several weeks between now and the end of the month. Obviously some places are seeing higher levels of transmission. We have seen that we have higher levels in Donegal, even though it has reduced somewhat, it has not experienced the same level of reduction that the rest of the country has experienced.
“There is still time for significant improvements, not only in the country as a whole, but also in Donegal.”
4. Delay in easing certain restrictions
Another consideration that has reportedly been a focus of the government is to maintain certain restrictions for two more weeks after December 1.
The government is considering keeping both county travel restrictions and home visiting restrictions for at least two weeks through December, according to reports published Friday in the Irish Independent.
However, this could potentially be reduced when Christmas rolls around, as the Taoiseach has repeatedly aimed to ensure that we can experience a “meaningful Christmas.”
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