[ad_1]
Ireland will remain locked up until at least March.
The Taoiseach was frank in his assessment of the current situation tonight.
Micheál Martin confirmed again that we will not be released from lockdown after a cabinet review next week.
But then he snuffed out all hopes of some relief in mid-February, which some government figures had hinted at midweek, when he said the next review wouldn’t be for four weeks.
He said that the people “could take it,” the government “will take stock every four weeks.”
(Image: Julien Behal Photography / PA Wire)
The current lockdown is scheduled to provisionally end on January 31, so the next review would be scheduled for four weeks starting February 28.
So by the Taoiseach’s own calculations, the earliest we could get out of the Level Five lockdown in a meaningful way would be the next day, March 1.
Martin said there is still hope that schools, and especially special education, can reopen soon, and there is hope that more construction projects will resume next month.
He addressed journalists after a virtual meeting of the European Council with other EU leaders this afternoon.
He said: “There is certainly no talk at this time in terms of relaxing or reversing the restrictions at the end of this month.
“We are seeing a continuation of the restrictions in February.
“I think you can assume that we will take stock of the situation every four weeks.”
The Taoiseach also discussed a possible two-state solution, UK and Ireland, for travel restrictions and quarantines.
He said the strategy is “one that could be followed” and added that it is still in a very “exploratory” and “embryonic” stage.
[ad_2]