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Groups of four people living within a 5 km radius of each other can meet outside once a day starting on Monday.
Hose meetings will be required to meet social distancing guidelines and to be kept within two meters of the people they are with.
People will also be asked not to take advantage of lowering the restrictions and warned that they can only meet with small groups of friends and family once a day.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) agreed yesterday to go to phase one of the plan to reopen the country.
After the Cabinet signs Nphet’s recommendation, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will announce this afternoon the first significant reduction in closure restrictions since the country was closed.
One of the key rule changes will be the lifting of the ban on meeting people from outside your home.
Small groups will be allowed to meet outside once a day. They will also be allowed to play golf and tennis.
Outdoor workers, such as those working in construction and landscaping, are also expected to be able to return to work while applying social distancing measures starting next week.
The Government will emphasize that this is strictly limited to outside workers and that anyone who works inside construction sites will not return to work.
Hardware stores, garden centers, farmers markets and other stores that are mainly outdoors will also reopen under the government’s roadmap.
They will also reopen home goods stores, opticians, garages, bike shops, and stores that sell office supplies, election products, computers, and phones.
The Government will also announce new advice on the use of homemade facial covers on public transport and when shopping.
Yesterday, the Taoiseach told the Dáil that it was “increasingly confident” that it could begin to lift the restrictions on Monday as the rate of new infections and deaths from Covid-19 has continued to decline.
“Everything is going to plan, phase one will start on Monday, if and only if it’s safe to do so,” he said.
Taoiseach and Health Minister Simon Harris will describe how the restrictions will be lifted between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. from today.
They will urge people to stay home as much as possible and at the same time announce limited venues where they can meet friends and family or go shopping.
Workers will be encouraged to take important precautions if they return to work.
Meanwhile, Gardaí will begin contingency planning later today for his role in what could be a logistical nightmare in implementing phase one of lifting the Covid-19 blockade.
They are awaiting specific instructions from the Government detailing what it means to partially remove the current restrictions as of midnight Monday before completing their preparations.
The government’s decision will result in thousands of additional people hitting the roads and streets when they return to work.
The large increase in public movement will put pressure on Garda’s existing checkpoint operations.
Officials do not yet know if they will be tasked with monitoring the large increase in the number of people traveling by public transportation to work to ensure that social distancing measures are followed.
The reopening of businesses like garden centers and hardware stores also poses problems unless it specifically clarifies what constitutes a large or small center or store and whether major retail outlets such as Woodie’s, B & Q and Homestore are covered by the regulations.
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Ikea has already stated that it intends to open next week.
It is still unclear whether the responsibility will rest with gardaí or the health and safety authorities to ensure that people wear masks or which agency will control the measures, such as social distancing, related to the reopening of other points of sale covered in phase one. .
Meanwhile, the Public Works Office yesterday announced a new social distancing plan for Phoenix Park in Dublin, which will take effect on Monday, following an increase in visitor numbers in recent weeks.
Temporary measures will include providing a cocoon space in the Walled Garden of the Phoenix Park Visitor Center from 10am to 1pm, daily.
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