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Limits on home visits would be removed during Christmas week according to plans the government is considering.
Inter-county travel will also be allowed for a short period so that people can return home to see friends and family.
However, the public will be asked to limit their interactions to a main gathering during the Christmas period to help stop the spread of the virus.
“We want people to have a safe Christmas, but we will ask them not to go to many different homes,” said a senior government source.
The country will undergo Level 3 restrictions once the second national lockdown ends on December 1. Different Level 3 grades are expected to be introduced throughout the month depending on the rate of new infections.
The government is considering a number of options and there is great concern about managing expectations before the shutdown ends.
However, a key aspect of their plans is a significant reduction in restrictions in the last week of December.
This advice issued closer to Christmas week will ask people to be careful and follow the rules of social distancing during the holiday period.
The final decision on the council will depend on the rate of new Covid-19 cases once the lockdown ends.
However, there are plans to lift the current ban on home visits during Christmas week and there will be no restrictions on the number of people allowed in a home.
The government will ask people to take personal responsibility if they have home visitors, but will not put a limit on the number of friends or family you can have in your home.
People will be asked to choose a day when they have an important family gathering to celebrate Christmas.
This will not necessarily have to be on December 25, but it will have to be during the brief period in which the restrictions are relaxed.
A government source said: “Closer to Christmas, restrictions on home visits may be loosened and we may not put numbers on how many you can have in your home.”
“You would choose the day that you want your family to come together and work around that,” added the source.
The source said that people will be urged to follow public guidelines on social distancing and will be asked not to hug family members, especially if they are older or vulnerable.
“The gardaí will not knock on your door on Christmas Day,” added the source.
The recent increase in the virus has caused concern among ministers and officials, but the increase in cases is expected to be related to people celebrating parties during Halloween.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will give its recommendations to leave the lockdown next week.
Several high-level government figures, including ministers and officials, said yesterday that there are no plans to extend the blockade beyond December 1.
There is frustration that new cases have not decreased in the last week and there is concern that the reproduction rate has increased.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar have been pressured by their party members to provide clarity to retailers and the hotel industry on the restrictions that will apply after the closure.
No decision has been made as to whether pubs and restaurants will be allowed to open during Christmas or whether indoor services will be allowed.
It is believed that it is highly unlikely that wet pubs that do not serve food will be allowed to open. Some publicans have told TDs that they do not want to open during the Christmas period because they are concerned that they will be blamed for the spread of the virus in their communities.
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