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Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that shoe stores will be able to sell children’s shoes “by appointment only.”
Mr. Martin said the guide would be published shortly and would only be for children’s shoes.
Mr. Martin said that “it is an issue that the Government is examining. We take the point that there have been problems in terms of children’s shoes being an essential element in terms of children’s growth and development and the need to provide that.
“We are finalizing a specific guide. This will be published and described in regulations that shoe stores, in particular shoe services, would facilitate to measure children and to serve children by appointment online or by phone. ”
He stressed that it is being done “only for children’s shoes. It is very specific to children, very specific to children’s needs and children’s development, ”and the guidelines will be posted shortly.
Medical staff raised the issue with the Government.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly had said he wanted stores selling children’s shoes to reopen as soon as possible.
There are medical implications for children and those shoe stores should be added to the essential retail list, Donnelly said. “They must be opened immediately,” he told RTÉ radio’s News at One. Donnelly said he spoke with Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn Wednesday morning about the issue.
“Obviously children grow up fast and stores have been closed for a long time. . . they should be added to the essential retail list specifically for children’s shoes, ”he said.
Donnelly’s intervention comes just hours after Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe reiterated that parents should continue to buy shoes for their children online. He said the sale of children’s footwear in stores would be considered by the government in May as it also examines ways to reopen non-essential retail stores.
The minister said he appreciated that some of the decisions made to save lives could create difficult situations. But he added that there are already circumstances in which children’s shoes can be purchased.
Donohoe reacted strongly to a suggestion on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland radio show that his party had a history with children’s shoes. He rejected any suggestion to ignore the needs of families with young children. “Everything our government is doing and our party is motivated to keep people safe,” said Mr. Donohoe.
Meanwhile, reopening schools is the priority, he said. “I absolutely appreciate the needs our parents have in relation to their very, very young children. We are prioritizing that, for example in relation to opening schools. “
Had the decision been made to reopen shoe stores on Tuesday, ministers would now be answering questions about why other retailers would not be able to reopen, he said. The government must be consistent in its decision-making, he added.
A government source said Wednesday: “As Tánaiste said last night, work is being done on the issue of children’s footwear. It will be announced later today how we will ensure that children who need new shoes can get the right shoes for their needs. “
Sources indicated that a limited approach is being considered, rather than a total reopening of the shoe stores. Certain conditions may apply; for example, purchases can be arranged by appointment.
Non-essential retail
On RTÉ’s primetime Tuesday night, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the government “will have to analyze” situations in which some children with medical conditions require special footwear.
Cabinet members considered allowing click and collect [purchase] for children’s shoe stores in general, he added. But he said the gardaí had told them that collecting items from non-essential shops was an excuse often given by people traveling outside their 5 km radius. Mr Varadkar said that the click and collect services contributed “a lot of buzz” from the public when they were previously open.
The Tánaiste said that the Government recognized that children’s footwear is essential. But he noted that they can be purchased online or over the phone.
On Tuesday, Niamh Lynch, a consulting pediatrician at Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, said children “suffer” with shoes that are too small due to the continued closure of shoe stores.
Dr. Lynch said that some children walk “barefoot” or in socks because parents cannot order shoes that fit them online. He added that he had seen cases in recent weeks where children wore painful, ill-fitting shoes that could have long-term implications for a child’s gait.
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