[ad_1]
Hair salons and gyms may be allowed to reopen and religious services could return as early as next week based on plans being considered to break out of the Level 5 lockdown, although restaurants may have to wait until late from December.
Government officials said details of a plan to provide a phased exit from the strict restrictions are still in the works starting next Tuesday.
The current expectation is for the State to move to Level 3 “with modifications,” said one. Inter-county travel restrictions would be lifted later in the month to allow Christmas travel, though an exact date has not yet been set.
The cabinet will meet on Tuesday for an initial discussion on the reopening plan and ministers are expected to push for the greatest possible relaxation of restrictions. Cabinet sources at Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens say ministers will push for the reopening of shops, restaurants and churches starting next week.
The leaders of the three parties met Monday night and agreed that the country is on track to break out of Level 5 restrictions. However, sources said no final decisions were made on how this would happen.
The government is eager to avoid another wave of Covid-19 cases and have to introduce more measures in January.
Minimize contacts
With this goal in mind, some restrictions that minimize the number of contacts a person has are likely to be in place, along with plans to reduce the number of meetings with alcohol. This is expected to mean that the reopening of restaurants and pubs will be delayed beyond December 1.
However, there has been intensive lobbying from all sectors, the scale of which has been described as “off the charts” by political sources, and there is strong reluctance on the part of the restaurant industry to delay the reopening.
Several Cabinet sources said they would push for indoor dining at restaurants to resume starting next Tuesday, while one minister said they would argue that pubs have had “a really difficult year” and should be part of the considerations.
Despite this, there is a growing feeling among ministers that pubs that do not serve food will not reopen this year.
A government source said “every contact counts” as they ponder options with the largely conflicting goals of reopening the economy to the fullest extent possible and slowing the resurgence of the disease.
Officials are understood to be examining the impact the Thanksgiving holiday has on Covid-19 case numbers in the US and Canada.
The government will make a decision on Thursday or Friday on how to get out of the six-week lockdown after listening to the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team9 (Nphet).
Vaccine strategy
Meanwhile, the chairman of the government’s vaccine task force, Professor Brian MacCraith, told the Taoiseach that he hopes to have a vaccine delivery strategy ready by December 11.
The working group’s first meeting on Monday heard that business, supply chain and project management experts have been hired to help develop agreements for the sourcing and distribution of any vaccine that is approved within the EU.
Nphet reported no further deaths of people with Covid-19 on Monday. The total number of virus-related deaths in the pandemic stands at 2,022.
Another 252 confirmed cases of the disease were reported, bringing the total number of cases in the Republic to 70,711.
This was the lowest daily figure since September 26, although Monday’s figures are typically lower than during the rest of the week.
Medical director Dr. Tony Holohan declined to be selected Monday night on the recommendations Nphet would make later this week, but said the more progress is made in reducing cases, the “more options we will have” terms of easing restrictions.
There have been 20 new outbreaks in the workplace in the past week, the briefing was heard, and 121 investigations into outbreaks in the workplace remain open.
[ad_2]