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The Irish government decreed this Monday the maximum alert of the plan to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which forces citizens to stay home and the closure of bars, restaurants and non-essential shops, keeping schools and nurseries open. The Irish government’s decision comes at a time when contagion numbers are rising, as in several European countries, and two weeks after estimates of the impact of the pandemic on the economy have improved: a recession estimate of 9 % has changed a fall of only 0.4%.
The new lockdown, less restricted than the one imposed in the first wave of the new coronavirus pandemic, It will come into force next Thursday and will last for six weeks, which foresees the gradual lifting of restrictions until the beginning of December, so that the economy can recover during the Christmas period. The sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases last week forced the Dublin government to issue a high alert throughout the Republic of Ireland, following the recommendations of health advisers.
With the new restrictions, bars and restaurants will only be able to offer the service of food sales, they will be All family gatherings are prohibited and visits to other homes will not be allowed., for those who live alone, a program was created to allow people at risk of social isolation or mental health problems to welcome other people into their home. Non-essential travel, such as walking or exercising, will be limited to a five-kilometer radius, and there will be penalties for those who do not comply.
A the population can only leave their counties to work, study or “for other essential purposes”, although the government recommends working from home whenever possible. Transportation services will start operating at 25% capacity, only for essential workers. However, the country’s schools and nurseries remain open: “We cannot allow our children and the future of our young people to be one more victim of this disease“.
From the first confinement, the The success of the restrictions imposed then depended on the degree of voluntary compliance of the population., since the authorities do not have the legal tools to, for example, fine offenders.
However, the Dublin government confirmed on Monday that it is finalizing an emergency legislative package impose sanctions during re-confinement. According to the latest official data, released this Monday, Ireland did not register deaths in the last 24 hours, whose total remains at 1,852, but it accounted for 1,031 new cases, with the cumulative figure standing at 50,993.
In early October, it was announced that the Irish economy could close 2020 with a economic contraction of only 0.4%, according to new projections released by the Central Bank of Ireland. The same central bank had pointed to a recession of around 9% in July, but the latest data points to a better than expected performance from exporters based there, with pharmaceutical companies leading the way, which could cause the economy works much better than was feared. It is much better than other countries in the euro zone.
Ireland’s economy is (only) expected to fall 0.4% this year
