[ad_1]
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the government intends to ease restrictions for about two weeks over Christmas and will only reimpose the controls if Covid-19 fees are increasing.
Vardkar also confirmed that retail, gyms, hairdressing and personal services will reopen first, saying “it will be haircuts and shopping before going out for the night.”
But he denied that this would rule out the reopening of bars and restaurants next week, saying it is still a matter of discussion and that it will be Friday at the earliest before the government announces its plans.
He said it makes sense to ease restrictions “in phases”, as making the maximum reopening next week “is not safe.”
Varadkar said that people congregating in sports and hospitality settings and private homes were the biggest contributors to the spread of the virus, so these things would be allowed “towards the end.”
The Tánaiste said that as virus rates here are lower than in Northern Ireland and Britain, the government hoped to ease restrictions for more than the five to six days allowed there.
He said he hoped it would be “closer to two weeks.”
He said the government’s intention is to reimpose restrictions on a date in early January “if the virus is taking off again,” but said they would not tighten restrictions in the New Year just for the sake of doing so.
He also said that no one could rule out a return to Level 5 restrictions in the future, but that if it does happen, the government intends it to be only for a period of two to three weeks, as opposed to the six currently imposed.
Latest coronavirus stories
Mr Varakdar said the government is easing restrictions during Christmas to allow people to have as normal a Christmas day as possible.
“We know people are going to do it anyway, so we better provide it safely.”
He said that the guidance that the Government will give will be simple and direct and similar to the previous guidelines.
The government is considering allowing up to three households to come together over the Christmas period.
It is likely to be part of the guidance on Christmas meetings that will be issued by the Government, with the Cabinet making a final decision when it meets at 1pm on Friday.
While the 5km restrictions will be lifted next week, the inter-county travel restrictions will not apply until closer to Christmas.
It is understood that individuals will be able to travel to other counties possibly from Dec. 18 or 19 through Jan. 3 under proposals that are still being considered.
The National Public Health Emergencies Team will meet today and the Cabinet Covid-19 subcommittee may meet tomorrow to discuss NPHET’s recommendations and the latest data before the Cabinet makes a decision.
The Health Department confirmed yesterday that 226 new cases of coronavirus have been identified, with six more deaths.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland now stands at 2,028.
[ad_2]