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Stores, gyms and hair salons are expected to reopen on December 1, but restaurants may have to wait for another depending on plans the government is discussing.
The government is drafting plans to reopen the country after the second national shutdown under Level 5 restrictions.
The country is expected to be placed in different stages of Level 3 restrictions by the month of December.
It is expected that next week, stores, gyms, hairdressers and barbers will be allowed to reopen.
However, restaurants and pubs serving food may have to wait another week before they can serve customers again.
Government officials were examining plans to ditch the € 9 substantial food rule for pubs serving food in favor of new regulations.
However, sources involved in the talks said the 9-euro food rule is now expected to remain in place because officials cannot decide on another mechanism to distinguish between pubs that serve food and those that do not.
Wet pubs are still considered unlikely to reopen before Christmas because there are concerns that it will lead to a significant increase in new coronavirus cases.
Rules on home visiting and intercountry travel will be relaxed around Dec. 25 to allow for family reunions at Christmas.
The Government will place significant emphasis on people taking personal responsibility during this period, but will issue guidance on how to stay safe.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin cautioned that alcohol-related gatherings have been identified as contributing to spikes in the further spread of Covid-19 in the fall.
“Meetings and congregation with alcohol events help facilitate the spread of the virus,” he said before adding, “how we behave collectively is very, very important.”
“What has emerged is that the move to restricting domestic visitors after we introduced Level 3 appears to have had an impact, so we need to keep that in mind as we move into December,” he added.
The Taoiseach refused to be swayed by what this means for the prospect of pubs reopening before Christmas.
He said the government will decide how to get out of Level 5 restrictions on Thursday or Friday.
Martin held talks today with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and the leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan.
The cabinet will meet tomorrow before the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) issues advice to the government on Wednesday. A Cabinet Committee on Covid will consider your recommendations before a final Cabinet meeting to approve the plan.
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