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People will be allowed to expand their domestic bubble to include close family members, isolated individuals, and people in need of care, under the new Covid-19 restrictions that the government is considering.
An eviction ban will also be introduced to coincide with any new measures restricting travel within counties to ensure that people cannot be removed from their homes during a second lockdown.
The cabinet will approve new restrictions tomorrow aimed at halting the escalating spread of the virus after holding a decisive meeting with Nphet chief Tony Holohan and HSE chief Paul Reid on Saturday.
The strictest measures will be a merger of Level Four and Level Five restrictions established in the Government’s Living with Covid-19 strategy.
They are expected to reject Nphet’s suggestion of a six-week lockdown, and instead spend three to four weeks with a review at the end of the period.
Schools, along with construction sites and manufacturing businesses, are expected to remain open, as are other essential services and shops, but the vast majority of other businesses will be asked to close their doors during the period of the new closure.
Pubs and restaurants may only offer take away and home delivery service.
Under the plans being discussed today, home visits will continue to be prohibited and people may be asked to stay within 5 km of their home when additional Covid rules are released.
However, ministers are developing a “social bubble” system that would ensure that people are not isolated.
The system will be based on the New Zealand model, which allows people to expand their home bubble to connect with close family members, bring in caregivers or support isolated people.
The New Zealand government website says households should maintain their “exclusive bubble and only include the people who will keep you and them safe and healthy.”
“If someone inside your bubble feels bad, legally they must immediately isolate themselves from everyone else inside the bubble,” he adds.
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris told RTE’s The Week in Politics that he is in favor of introducing bubbles.
The government is not expected to use the term “bubble”, but will introduce a similar system.
At present, home visits are only allowed for compassionate or essential medical reasons.
The proposal to be presented to cabinet tomorrow is expected to recommend banning any travel beyond 5 km from a house, but this can be extended once ministers analyze it.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien plans to re-introduce a moratorium on evictions to coincide with movement restrictions within counties.
O’Brien is working with Attorney General Paul Gallagher to introduce a ban similar to the one announced during the first shutdown.
The minister insists on new legislation that would ensure that people are not forced to leave their homes during a lockdown.
O’Brien hopes to make the ban into law, which would make the eviction moratorium automatically take effect if more severe travel restrictions are introduced.
Government leaders and senior ministers yesterday held a four-hour meeting with medical director Tony Holohan, his deputy Ronan Glynn and HSE chief executive Paul Reid.
They discussed the various aspects and impacts of a second blockade before another meeting to take place tomorrow. This will be followed by a full cabinet meeting.
On Saturday, ministers heard that child welfare referrals had dropped during the first lockdown, while calls for domestic violence increased. They were also told that the situation with intensive care hospital beds is worrying, but not yet critical.
The number of people in hospital carts today is not far from a normal October, they were told.
They also considered the impact of tougher coronavirus restrictions on businesses and employment.
Talks are taking place this weekend between the Government and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec) to encourage more people to work from home in the coming weeks.
Plans are also in place to ensure that the recently announced Covid-19 Restriction Support Scheme (CRSS), which is not yet operational, can have a back-date if new restrictions are announced this week.
There is concern within the government about becoming an “outlier” in Europe by imposing more severe restrictions than other EU states. “The last time we took these kinds of measures, a lot of Europe was participating, but this time there is a risk that we will do it and others will not and we become an outlier,” said a minister.
“Even the markets will look at us differently then,” added the minister.
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