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People have been queuing outside stores since early this morning as Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Non-essential retail stores, hair and beauty providers, gyms and leisure centers will reopen starting today.
Cinemas, museums and galleries may also reopen, but food-serving pubs and restaurants will be closed until Friday.
Public transport capacity will be increased from 25% to 50% to meet the additional demand.
Two Penney’s stores in Dublin are open 24 hours to cater to customer demand, while another in Limerick opened early, however queues outside the store on St Patrick’s Street in Cork are quiet for the moment.
#penneys #cork has opened today not angry #tails @cholivecork @irishexaminer pic.twitter.com/NtyHtuumiv
– Dan Linehan (@lensdan) December 1, 2020
As restrictions are eased, wedding guests and mourners at funerals will be limited to 25, while events hosted indoors are not allowed.
Meetings of up to 15 people are allowed outdoors, while non-contact training can take place outdoors and in groups of 15, while individual training is allowed indoors.
Gyms, leisure centers and swimming pools reopened for individual workouts starting Tuesday.
Hotels, B & Bs and nonessential retail were also resuming operations.
People are still urged to work from home and public transportation is limited to 50%. People have also been advised to stay in their own county.
Places of worship, museums, galleries, libraries and cinemas will also reopen, but the wet pubs will be closed except for takeout.
📺 I didn’t think I would do this again in 2020 … But it’s 6:45 am on Tuesday, December 1, and just watch the queue at #Comic Quintilla as Penneys reopens afterwards # COVID-19 lock 2. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/PTVwFyjIGw
– Nick Rabbitts (@ Nick468official) December 1, 2020
Last night, Medical Director Tony Holohan urged people not to rush to stores and restaurants in the coming weeks, fearing it would cause a spike in cases.
As the country begins to reopen, the country’s top doctors have warned people to avoid crowded places to ensure they can enjoy higher levels of contact with loved ones during the Christmas period.
Dr. Holohan and his colleagues at Nphet said that Level 5 measures had saved hundreds of lives and potentially prevented thousands of coronavirus cases, and that there was no “inevitability” of a further increase in the number of cases in the next few weeks if people adhere to public health guidelines.
However, he cautioned that the public should be cautious, urging people to avoid crowded shops and streets and to wear masks in crowded settings.
When asked about the possibility of people having Christmas parties, Dr. Holohan said, “It shouldn’t be happening.”
Dr. Holohan also said that the high-level working group on Covid-19 vaccination will deliver the National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy and Implementation Plan to the Government by the end of next week, but said it would not fixate on which groups of people should get any vaccine first once it is available.
He also warned that public health measures will still need to be followed even after the vaccine is implemented.
The working group must deliver its report to the government before December 11.
Ireland has joined the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, both of which have recently published positive early indicator reports.
Both Pfizer and AstraZeneca are seeking market authorization in the coming weeks.
That news comes as the latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC) showed an additional Covid-19-related death and 306 new confirmed cases.
The latest death means 119 people died from the coronavirus in November.
The HPSC also confirmed that there were 259 people in the hospital due to Covid-19 and 31 people in intensive care units.
Retailers and businesses will finally return to something of a normalcy in the next few days and they may experience a burst of consumer activity before Christmas.
Dr Holohan said that he would have liked to see a lower number of recent cases and accepted that going to Level 3 would bring challenges, but said: “That does not mean that the scenario of higher spread or exponential spread is some kind of certainty or inevitability. “.
Suppressing the virus would mean that people would not feel “compelled” to enter crowded areas like shops or public transportation, he said, while Dr. Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, said: “The fact that you can get things done tomorrow won’t it means you should. “
He said that people who plan to see friends or family for Christmas should plan ahead now, which means continuing to limit their daily contacts.
Dr. Holohan said, “Stay away from crowded shops, stay away from a busy street, stay away from a crowded bus.”
Regarding another typical aspect of the festive period, he said: “Traveling this Christmas is going to be a great challenge for people, the movement of people leads to the movement of the virus, the movement of the virus is what spreads the infection, it is so simple how that.”
Dr. Glynn said: “We are especially concerned about people gathering in groups, whether in restaurants or other settings, because that carries an increased risk both in terms of individuals and in terms of our ability to control this disease.”
Dr. Holohan said that alcohol was a common factor in the spread of Covid-19, while expressing some concerns about the number of virus cases in hospitals and nursing homes and among healthcare workers.
As the country moves to Level 3, An Garda Síochána said he would modify his police operation to reflect the changes.
That will mean the reduction of some activities at checkpoints, but the continuation of high-visibility patrols in key urban and retail locations in the lead up to Christmas and a focus on the nighttime economy.
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