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Two more weeks of closure will be followed by a gradual lifting of restrictions on Irish life starting on May 18, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced Friday night.
Speaking in government buildings in a live televised speech, Varadkar warned that starting the opening of the country too soon could result in “getting back to square one,” with an increase in the number of cases, hospital admissions and deaths.
If progress in virus containment continues, he said, the government will begin easing restrictions on May 18 in five phases, three weeks apart, each of which will depend on the success of the previous one. He warned that if any stage resulted in a “second wave” of the virus, the restrictions would be re-imposed.
The final phase, which will allow a gradual return to normal work arrangements, as well as a return to sports, theaters, shopping malls and cultural gatherings, will begin on August 10. The opening of bars and clubs where a strict social distancing can be imposed will be allowed. Schools and universities will reopen in September and October for the new academic year.
Over 70
The Taoiseach did announce some minor changes starting next week: it extended the 2 km limit to travel from home to 5 km and told those over 70 that they could leave their homes as long as they stayed within 5 km and had no contact with anyone else.
However, lead attorney Michael McDowell said there was no legal basis for having different rules for those over 70, who were subject to the same regulations as everyone else.
In a briefing with medical director Tony Holohan on Friday night, Health Minister Simon Harris said he would sign regulations that extend the Gardai’s powers to enforce the restrictions until May 18.
He added that the measures related to the sickness benefit and the subsidy for job applicants will run until mid-June.
The Cabinet will hold another special meeting on Saturday morning to approve a trade support package proposed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe. These are expected to include significant liquidity supports for companies affected by the Covid-19 shutdown and the new tolerance for tax rates and payments.
The government released a 22-page document outlining the plan to lift the restrictions. Mr. Harris described it as a “living and breathable document” on the return to “some kind of new normal.”
“Association with the people”
The roadmap was about “trying to strike a balance” and build on progress “without jeopardizing it.”
He also warned that taking the time for the wrong lifting of the measures would risk lives, and moving too soon in this direction ran the risk of failure that would have a “devastating” impact on thousands of people.
Harris described the plan as a “partnership with the people” and said it should be “owned by everyone in the country.” He added: “If we don’t do it right, we will end up standing or even going backwards.”
The road ahead would be difficult but it would be worth it.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 Garda members will be on duty in 12-hour shifts as part of Operation Fanacht this holiday weekend to ensure compliance with public health restrictions aimed at fighting Covid-19.
The operation began in the middle of the week and will continue until midnight on Monday, with checkpoints on the main highways across the country.
However, despite fear of complacency regarding compliance with coronavirus restrictions, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said multiple times this week that Garda members had discovered that people understood the restrictions and were following them.
Garda sources told The Irish Times that in the 48-hour period through Friday night there had been no noticeable change to non-compliance, and they had also not seen a significant increase in traffic volume.
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