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Significant restrictions are expected to remain until the second half of May, and government sources minimize the chances of a major relaxation of the shutdown next month.
While Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar gave strong indications on Wednesday that current trends would allow already-marked loosenings to continue, senior government figures have poured cold water on the suggestion that broader loosening could be at stake.
However, high-level sources said some changes around nursing home visits would be considered by April 5, if key advice from public health experts backed such a call. The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will meet Thursday to discuss the visits.
Mr Varadkar told the Fine Gael parliamentary party that no decision would be made on easing the restrictions until the first week of April. He said the focus would be on schools and childcare and warned that getting ahead of the plan could result in backtracking.
Outdoor activities
Coalition figures warned that the situation is finely balanced and that while “we hope to be on track” to extend the 5 km limit, reopen construction and expand the scope of outdoor activities, a large outbreak could destabilize the things.
One source said the government will take a “minimalist approach” to the next six-week plan, which will last until May 23, and will not give in to sectoral interests. They said it was important not to generate expectations of changes that would not occur, or that the contradictory messages that preceded the current plan would be repeated.
While Varadkar on Wednesday suggested the possibility of a resumption of “click and collect” retail activity, other senior government figures downplayed the suggestion.
Vaccine shortage
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil leaders told their parliamentary parties that the hands of the state were tied by a shortage of vaccines, and that efforts to ensure the manufacture of vaccines or overdoses proved futile.
Mr. Martin told the Fianna Fáil party meeting that “there is no magic tree when it comes to vaccines.”
Elsewhere, the Oireachtas health committee must write to AstraZeneca demanding answers about the company’s continuing shortfall in vaccine deliveries.
However, some TDs in the coalition are now openly questioning some aspects of the current restrictions, and five Ministers of State told The Irish Times that there should be more flexibility in numbers at funerals, which follows criticism from the Catholic hierarchy on the same topic.
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