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Ireland’s six-week shutdown will end next week with the return of shops, gyms and restaurants as infections decline, but pubs will remain closed unless they serve food.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin delivered a televised speech to tell the nation that Christmas would be ‘different but special’ this year.
He said: ‘We can be with our loved ones and remember those we have lost. We will get out of this together.
“By easing restrictions, we go as far as we think the best balance of health, economic and social considerations is possible, but no more.”
Inter-county travel will be allowed beginning December 18 to allow families to visit each other, and up to two more homes can be welcomed into people’s homes between December 18 and January 6.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin (pictured) gave a televised speech to tell the nation that Christmas would be ‘different but special’ this year
Ireland became one of the first European countries to reimpose tough COVID-19 restrictions six weeks ago when the government closed non-essential retail stores and limited pubs and restaurants to takeout service.
Starting Tuesday, however, the economy will begin to be one of the most open in Europe after a sharp cut in the incidence rate from 14 days per 100,000 people to less than 100, behind only Finland and Iceland in the whole continent.
Martin said the upcoming holiday period “cannot and will not be the kind of Christmas we are used to,” but added that easing of restrictions would offer “a respite from the difficulties of 2020 and, in particular, the last six weeks. “.
“The encouraging news is that the efforts and sacrifices each of us have made are working. Lives have been saved, ”he added.
Ireland became one of the first European countries to reimpose tough COVID-19 restrictions six weeks ago when the government closed non-essential retail stores and limited pubs and restaurants to takeout service. In the photo, Belfast city center today
According to measures agreed by the Irish government, all points of sale, museums, galleries and libraries will be able to reopen under social distancing measures as of December 1.
Under national ‘level three’ restrictions, people will also be able to go to the gym for individual training and attend religious services.
On December 4, more flexibility will be introduced, and pubs serving food and restaurants will be allowed to reopen. Food must be prepared on site, within the facility.
Pubs that only serve drinks will be closed except for take out and home delivery.
As of January 7, Ireland has said it will review all measures implemented during the previous month while considering the trajectory of the virus.
The government has agreed that masks should be recommended in crowded workplaces, places of worship, and in busy or crowded outdoor spaces where there is a large congregation.
In October, Ireland became the first EU nation to return to a total coronavirus lockdown.
Martin made his announcement on the day that the entire hospitality and nonessential retail sector in British-run Northern Ireland closed for two weeks, potentially sparking a flood of cross-border Christmas shopping. In the photo, Belfast
While schools remained open, all Irish citizens were told to stay home, with a strict five-kilometer (three-mile) travel limit for exercise.
Martin praised the public’s efforts to combat the disease, saying the country had “pushed the virus to the point where we now have the second lowest infection rate in the European Union.”
A total of 2,043 people have died from coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland out of 71,699 confirmed cases.
Martin made his announcement on the day that the entire hospitality and nonessential retail sector in British-run Northern Ireland closed for two weeks, potentially sparking a flood of cross-border Christmas shopping.
I lay awake last night thinking about not trading this Christmas, and maybe not until next summer. I feel demoralized, stunned by everything, ” Willie Aherne, owner of Dublin’s Palace Bar, told Virgin Media News.
The adaptation of many closed stores to take-out or click-and-pick services limited economic damage over the past six weeks with data on Friday showing that retail sales fell just 0.7 percent month-over-month in October. and increased by 8.1 percent. year with year.
