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Ireland will shut down much of its economy and society in a second Covid-19 lockdown that imposes some of the most severe restrictions in Europe.
Non-essential stores will close and people will be asked to stay home, with a 3-mile (5-km) travel limit for exercise, to curb rising infection rates, the government announced Monday night. .
Starting at midnight on Wednesday, the country will go to its highest level of lockdown for six weeks. Visits to private homes or gardens will not be allowed and there will be no gatherings, except strictly controlled weddings and funerals.
A system of graduated fines will be announced later this week for those who exceed the 5km travel limit, with exceptions for work and other purposes deemed essential. People who live alone or are single parents can mate with another household as part of a bubble of support. Two households can meet outdoors within the travel limit. Public transport will operate at 25% of its capacity.
Non-essential retail will close along with hair salons, beauty salons, gyms, leisure centers and cultural services. Pubs, cafes and restaurants will only be able to serve takeout meals, a devastating blow to an already weakened hospitality sector.
In a gloomy speech to announce the restrictions, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said he understood that there would be disappointment, loneliness and despair but that there was hope.
“If we come together for the next six weeks, we can celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way… the journey will not be easy, but the future is in our hands. We must all dig deep and persevere. “
Martin said the government had rejected a Covid zero strategy as unrealistic and a herd immunity strategy as unethical. Periodic closings may become the norm, he suggested. “We work to suppress the virus when it is growing and we work to reopen as much of our society and economy as possible when it is safe to do so. Until we have a safe vaccine, we must continue in that pattern. “
Schools and nurseries will remain open, but Martin Marjoram, president of the Teachers Union of Ireland, said its members were anxious and faster coronavirus tests were needed for schools to stay open.
Construction and most manufacturing can keep going. Hotels and guesthouses may remain open to provide essential services.
The pandemic unemployment payment will be reset to 350 euros (320 pounds sterling) a week for those with previous earnings of 400 euros a week or more. The wage subsidy rates will also be improved.
Ireland’s supermarkets and grocery stores reported unusually busy activity on Monday even though they will remain open.
Health officials reported 1,031 new infections on Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 50,993. The death toll was unchanged at 1,852.
Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants is 261, lower than that of Great Britain, France and Spain, and is in the middle of the table for Europe. But Ireland’s health service has little available capacity, especially for intensive care.
Opposition parties generally supported stricter restrictions, but several business groups warned of a wave of bankruptcies and job losses.
Medical director Tony Holohan requested a level 5 lockdown two weeks ago, but the coalition government rejected the recommendation, citing the damage it would inflict on the economy and state finances and expressing hope that the level 3 restrictions would contain the virus.
Leo Varadkar, the deputy prime minister, accused Holohan and his colleagues on the emergency health team of not considering the recommendation. Several ministers said that a second blockade may lack the social cohesion and widespread public compliance of the first.
However, with the number of viruses on the rise, Holohan got a different answer when he reapplied for level 5 last weekend, leading some to say that Varadkar had gone from Dr. No to Yes Minister.
Two days of intense talks between health officials and leaders of the three ruling parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Los Verdes, led to the decision to revert to a draconian set of rules similar to those imposed in March.
Holohan appealed to the public to go back to basics and isolate themselves if they had Covid-19 symptoms or were awaiting test results or had tested positive. “Self-isolation means staying in your room, away from other members of your household. If you live in a house with a confirmed case, do not go to work or school. You have to stay home and restrict your movements for 14 days, ”he said.
Health officials cited the example of a person who did not restrict his movements after returning from abroad, leading to the infection of 56 people in 10 homes.
The highest infection rates are found in counties bordering Northern Ireland, which has some of the highest rates in the UK. Last week, Northern Ireland closed schools, pubs and restaurants in a series of new restrictions that will last four weeks, with the exception of schools, which will close for two weeks.
The divergence in the rules between North and South, especially about schools and travel, will amplify calls for a response from all the islands.
