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The government has rejected calls to lift the ban on the sale of children’s clothing and other household items in supermarkets.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that “it would not be fair” for smaller retailers to be forced to close under level 5 lockdown conditions if large supermarkets were allowed to sell so-called “non-essential” items.
In recent days, gardaí have visited stores across the country to warn them that they cannot sell baby clothes, household items and other items other than food and drink.
Martin said the largest retailers cannot be allowed to “exploit” the lockdown conditions. He said this is simply the result of living with level 5.
“The stores can’t take advantage of the situation, especially the big retailers and so forth, because the small retailers had to close. It is not fair to them that a multiple has its nonessential side open. That’s not fair and not everyone joins. Multiple have assured the government that they are not going to do this, ”he told the .
“A lot of people on the street front and in the rural towns had to close down. And it’s not fair for them. Fundamentally, there is a question of justice.”
In recent days, Tesco, Lidl and Aldi have said they will limit the non-essential items they will sell, and German retailers will effectively shut down their “middle aisles,” which sold kitchen utensils, electronics and garden equipment. Some stores have seen the end of the sale of children’s clothing.
Aldi said their Specialbuy promotions would be suspended, while Lidl said they won’t sell non-essential items. These items include things like Christmas decorations and toys.
Mr. Martin said that shopping malls themselves have been problematic, and congregating large numbers of people is seen as a problem.
He said Nphet’s advice is to “reduce overall congestion” in the community for the next six weeks.
“The point of that is that if you reduce the number of meetings and the locations of the people who meet, you reduce the incidence of the virus and you can make the progress that we want to make in terms of reducing the numbers,” he said.
The move comes as six other deaths and 866 Covid-19 cases were confirmed. The number of cases has already exceeded 60,000 in Ireland.
Laura Erskine of the BabyDoc Club, an organization that provides support and advice to new parents across the country, including nearly 70,000 members on Facebook, said the decision to ban the sale of baby clothes was “a record for the most ridiculous made by the Government yet “.
Erskine said her social media channels were flooded with worried and upset parents in recent days.
“The vague guidelines given by the government to retailers in preparation for the current Level 5 living with Covid restrictions have caused confusion among the public and the retailers themselves, but have hurt the most vulnerable members of society,” he said .
“A pregnant mother can go into labor at any time during her 40-week gestation, and premature babies have a real chance of survival after 24 weeks. There is still a widespread superstition about over-preparing for the arrival of babies, in the event that they do not reach this world safely.
“As a result, some parents expecting babies for the next several months had not purchased essential clothing for their baby or, indeed, extra underwear and nightwear to bring to the hospital. Since couples and visitors are unable to visit a new mom, you must prepare in advance for all eventualities. “
TD Gary Gannon, a Social Democrat, said the move was “frustrating” and would “punish those who are older and on welfare.”
“People have nowhere to buy a white T-shirt for kids going back to school. I didn’t see anyone pushing for this. Things like this seem absurd to the normal gambler and have an impact on morale,” said Dublin TD.
“It has to be about security, not a discretionary understanding of justice.”
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