[ad_1]
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said that there will be no early departure from Ireland’s level five lockdown restrictions.
The Fine Gael leader said that we will “definitely” remain under the current measures until at least December 1, when they should be reviewed.
And Varadkar said he cannot provide clarity on the restrictions that will apply if Level Five ends in December.
He told the Dail: “I would love to be able to stand here and say that on December 1 we will move to Level 3 or 2 and give people the ability to plan their lives and businesses, but I am not in a position to do that.
(Image: Gareth Chaney / Collins)
“This virus can change very quickly. We have seen over the course of a few days or a week that the numbers increased dramatically, and as the medical director on the committee explained the other day, it is too far from Christmas.
“It is too far from December 1 for us to give a reliable indication of what level of restrictions there will be from December 1.”
It comes as hopes for a happier Christmas rise after Stephen Donnelly raised the possibility of returning to Level 2 on the Living With Covid scale in December.
The Health Minister said that the plan for next month is to “reopen” and added that “there is a possibility that it will be Level 2.”
Ireland is currently in a strict Level 5 lockdown with the economy and society at large frozen.
And nothing is likely to change for almost another month, as it is increasingly unlikely that a planned review within fifteen days will see a relaxation of restrictions.
Level 2 would see the main streets reopening with a bang and allow Christmas shoppers to go for a pint at a bar or eat something inside a restaurant after buying their gifts.
And a lot of sport would return, both for the players and for the spectators.
Donnelly told RTE: “The plan for December is, during the first week of December, to reopen.
“There are several ways that can be done that will be considered further closer to date, but critically to keep the country open. So for example it could be a Level 3, there is a possibility that it is a Level 2, or maybe a regional approach is taken. “
Unfortunately, the figures in Dublin are still stubbornly high today, with up to 40% of all cases registered in the capital on any given day.
This is leading government strategists to consider more regional closures to allow less severe restrictions on cities or counties that have Covid fees under control.
Donnelly added: “The rate is falling well in some parts of the country, but again in Dublin it is not falling that fast.
“There are some parts of Dublin where it doesn’t fall quickly and there is a part in the southwest where it doesn’t fall at all. And there are parts of North Dublin where it’s actually coming back up.
“So all these details need to be looked at as we figure out what is the best way to open up as much as we can, but critically, to do it in a way that doesn’t allow the virus to rise again.
[ad_2]