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The government is set to “signal” a return to outdoor sports and other outdoor activities in the new Living with Covid plan.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will present the revised plan on Tuesday, which is understood to be “cautious.”
Following the public outcry after the Mirror revealed that the restrictions are with us until the end of April, the Government is concerned about the effect this could have on our mental health.
And senior Cabinet sources have told the Irish Mirror that the revised roadmap will include a commitment to getting people active outside as soon as possible as part of this.
However, it is still accepted that there will be very little good news in Tuesday’s revised plan, with one minister telling the Mirror: “We are going to be conservative, cautious about this.”
(Image: Collins Photo Agency)
Golf, tennis and other non-contact outdoor sports and training will be seen as part of the next step in reopening the country.
However, nothing apart from the schools will have reopened after March 5, the date the current closure was supposed to end.
The understanding is that people need some hope after Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, infamously revealed in an interview with this newspaper on Friday that “significant restrictions” are with us until the end of April.
But, as one minister told the Mirror: “people will go crazy” with nothing to expect, and although no dates will be mentioned in the plan, sport is being prioritized.
This is consistent with what NPHET senior figure Dr. Philip Nolan said when he told RTE’s This Week that some form of social mixing is required to help people “stay sane.”
He also said that we should prepare for “a summer outdoors.”
Unfortunately, there will be no respite for businesses in the new plan, and most businesses will be closed for the next several months.
The same can be said for the hospitality industry, with all pubs and restaurants closed until at least June.
And the 5km travel limits for everything but essential travel are expected to remain locked in for the foreseeable future.
A source told the Mirror: “Schools are the first priority, first we have to get it right and then we’ll see how it goes.
“But then, according to the reviews, the intention is to prioritize outdoor activities.
“We know that outdoor activities and outdoor sports are safer than indoors, and we are eager to start reopening society, which is why the government will signal safe outdoor sports and activities this week.” .
The Sports Department conducted “an experiment” in November, the source told the Mirror, where more than 40 sports organizations participated.
A source from the Sports Department said: “this went well.”
Earlier this month in an interview with the Mirror, Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, also indicated that golf and other sports are a priority for him.
The Tánaiste said: “As for the safest, it is the outdoor activities.”
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