Non-essential retail will remain open at level 5, but stores were asked to postpone January sales

NON-ESSENTIAL RETAIL SALES will be allowed to remain open, but stores have been asked not to withhold January sales, as the government announced that the country was returning to Level 5 restrictions, with some modifications.

Amid a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed this afternoon that the country will enter Level 5 as of December 24.

While non-essential stores will be allowed to remain open after that date, the industry is requested not to make sales in January. “The retail sector will be asked to defer the January sales events,” Martin said this afternoon when announcing the measures.

Duncan Graham of Retail Excellence Ireland welcomed the news that nonessential retail would be allowed to remain open under Tier 5 restrictions.

Responding to the Taoiseach’s comments on the winter sales, he told RTÉ’s News at One that no one was interested in seeing large crowds enter stores in late December or early January, and asked customers to continue using the options. to buy online or click. & collect.

In a national address just three days before Christmas, the Taoiseach said that home visits will be limited to another home from December 27. Starting January 1, no home and garden visits will be allowed.

Inter-county travel will be restricted beginning December 26, although people who have already left their county can stay in another county until they return home.

The government had decided to keep non-essential gyms and stores open, despite medical director Tony Holohan recommending that the country move to level 5 restrictions as soon as possible.

Yesterday, public health officials warned that Ireland is now “clearly in a third wave of this pandemic.”

“Yes [the virus] allowed to spread uncontrollably, it will reach the most vulnerable, ”the Taoiseach said this afternoon. “And they will pay a very high price.”

He said it was important to people’s mental health and well-being that there was a break from the restrictions.

“Unfortunately, in the last week we have seen extraordinary growth in the spread of the virus,” says Martin, adding that there is a daily growth rate of around 10%.

“It’s just not sustainable,” he says, adding that “the safest and most responsible thing” is to act as if the new strain of Covid-19 seen in the UK is already here.