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The government is expected to ease restrictions slightly within two weeks as part of its “The Road Ahead” plan.
hen April 5 marks the key date, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) and cabinet ministers will consider virus cases, transmission levels, the number of hospitalized and the number of people who have been vaccinated until now for the next 10 days.
An announcement is expected to be made sometime next week, likely the Tuesday after the cabinet meeting.
But what is the process during these next crucial 10 days?
Where are we now
When Nphet raised the alarm last week about stagnating virus cases, government figures were concerned that the R number had risen.
As part of ‘The Path Ahead’, the government will consider three key areas to ease restrictions: the 5km exercise limit, outdoor activity and construction.
Yesterday the highest number of daily cases was registered in three weeks, with 769 registered. This will cast doubt on what restrictions will be eased, with the government willing to take a “cautious and conservative” approach to avoid a fourth wave.
The process for the next two weeks: what to expect
Thursday March 25: This Thursday, Nphet will meet. This meeting will be attended by Heads of Health, including Deputy Medical Director Dr. Ronan Glynn, Professor Philip Nolan, Dr. Lorraine Doherty and Dr. Mary Favier, President of the Irish College of General Practitioners.
After the meeting, Nphet will write a letter of recommendation to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
Monday March 29: The cabinet subcommittee on Covid-19 will consider Nphet’s recommendations.
The subcommittee consists of Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister of the Environment Eamon Ryan, Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly, Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe, Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath, Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, Minister of Justice Helen McEntee, as well as government officials.
They will then make a recommendation to Cabinet regarding easing the restrictions. Your advice will be crucial in deciding what restrictions need to be relieved.
The three party leaders, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister Eamon Ryan, will also meet next Monday.
Tuesday March 30: All cabinet ministers, as well as two super junior ministers (Pippa Hackett and Hildegarde Naughton) will meet on Tuesday.
They will consider Nphet’s advice, as well as the recommendations of the Cabinet subcommittee.
It is expected that, as on previous occasions, an official announcement will be made after the Cabinet meeting.
What restrictions are likely to be eased?
Cabinet members are expected to approve the easing of the “restrictive” exercise limit of 5 km.
It is not yet known if this will be extended to 10 km, 15 km, 20 km or if it will travel within the country.
There are also plans on the table for the gradual reopening of construction, with public and private housing construction to resume first, and commercial construction sites, such as office construction, to resume in two weeks.
The ministers will also consider outdoor activities such as golf and tennis.
However, with plateau cases and the R-number on the rise, we are unlikely to see any major easing of restrictions as they will have to strike a balance between avoiding a fourth wave and allowing a bit of freedom.
How far must the case numbers fall to signal the end of the lockdown?
It was reported last week that Professor Philip Nolan, during dialogue with the Taoiseach, indicated that cases should be 200 or less per day to allow for a wider reopening of the society.
However, this will be a challenge with the more transmissible B117 variant.
Nphet reported last week that the movement has also increased, with data showing that fewer people are staying home and that there has been a “significant increase” in people going to work.
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