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TODAY IS THE day when Covid-19 measures will loosen slightly, offering a touch more freedom to people across the country after weeks of heavy restrictions.
So what changes today as we embark on Phase One? Health officials are keen to stress that the modifications are not a licence to return to normal but instead an incremental evolution of Ireland’s approach to the virus after days of new cases and hospitalisations dropping.
There are five scenarios whereby people can or should leave their home, from Monday.
They are to go to work if your workplace has been told it can open under the current rules and in circumstances where you can’t do your job from home, to go to the shops for items you need, to exercise within five kilometres, for medical reasons or to care for others and to meet friends or family outdoors in groups no bigger than four.
It’s that final change that could lead the most significant changes for many. People can now play a game of tennis or a round or golf or even take part in outdoor exercise classes, provided it’s only with four people and it’s within 5km if your home.
Public beaches and mountain walks will reopen too.
There’s good news for cocooners too. On Friday evening, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that it would be appropriate for people in cocooning categories to meet small socially-distanced groups outdoors.
Who’s back to work?
Today will see the phased return of some non-essential retailers and outdoor workers. That means employees working in these shops and people like construction workers and gardeners will return to work.
In each case, social distancing requirements will continue to apply.
The return of construction work does not include some categories of indoor construction, meaning home renovations will have to wait.
The government has advised all employers to apply the Return to Work Safely Protocol, designed to support employers and workers to put measures in place that will prevent the spread of the virus. Employers should also have a Covid-19 Response Plan in place.
People who are in are position to work remotely should continue to do so.
In terms of education and childcare measures, schools and college buildings will open for access by teachers for the organisation and distribution of remote learning.
It had been planned that a childcare scheme would start for healthcare workers during Phase One but that was scrapped after just six providers signed up.
Looking at health and social care services, there will be an increased delivery of non-Covid-19 care and services across phases one and two of the government’s roadmap to reopening plan. A further breakdown of this can be found in the document.
Current restrictions on attendance at funerals to a maximum of 10 people should also be continued during phase one.
Retail
In terms of retail, people will also have more options. On Friday, health minister Simon Harris joked that never before in the history of Ireland has the country been so excited to go to a garden centre.
Alongside garden centres, hardware stores – although not homeware shops – will reopen.
Farmers’ markets can also re-open, as well as businesses that are involved in the “sale, supply and repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles”.
Other retailers include:
Parks, beaches, mountain walks, heritage and cultural sites will also reopen today, along with outdoor sports facilities such as pitches, tennis courts and golf courses.
Even though these amenities are reopening, people are advised not to travel beyond 5 kilometres from where they live to visit any of the facilities.
If you are doing any sport or fitnesses activities, they are permitted in groups of up to four people. But social distancing must be practised, contact minimised, equipment must not be shared.
Tennis Ireland has said that coaches can train a maximum of 3 players from the same household on one court at any one time.
Coaches can also work with two players who are not from the same household on one court but only when players are at opposite sides of the net to each other.
The Golf Union of Ireland’s protocol for players outlines that club members only can return to the course from 18 May with a maximum of groups of three spread out over fourteen-minute intervals.
Courses will also be limited to half of their usual capacity with a maximum of 60 players on the course at any one time.
Masks
It isn’t strictly connected to the loosening of restrictions, but people will also now be encouraged to wear masks in public places such as public transport and supermarkets.
It’s not mandatory, but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Friday said that members of the public should wear “face coverings when using busy public transport or in enclosed indoor public areas such as retail outlets”.
However, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan stressed that this is not a “silver bullet” to prevent spread of the virus, adding that it is simply another measure to compliment existing measures such as hand hygiene.
All going to plan, the next phase of Ireland’s coronavirus reopening will commence on 8 June.
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Nothing to do with that peaceful religion of course.
Probably America’s fault scipio because of the Malian governments improved relationship with western nations, well from the tin foil hat brigade anyway?.
The fact is westerners in any predominately Islamic nation can often be taking their lives in their own hands, you don’t know when or where these Islamofacist nut jobs are going to strike next, but strike they will.
Look guys, we know you hate the religion of islam, but you could at least wait for further info before you spout your hatred.
And remember if someone blatantly hated the jewish religion like you two hate islam, we know what they would be called.
….There’s murder on the dance floor…you better not kill the groove….
Once a bigot always a bigot eh Scipio? Let’s condemn Austrian Protestants for the actions of Northern Loalist murder gangs. Let’s judge ALL Christians by the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church, let’s judge ALL Jews by the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Let’s blame ALL secularists for the actions of Hitler & Stalin. Is that how we should work this? So called Islamic Fundamentalists have killed more Shi’ia Muslims than any other religious group but hey, according to Scipio we should blame all Shi’as too! It’s about as logical as blaming German Jews for Nazism because they are German!
Scipio doesn’t want shades or a nuanced view, everything is black and white. Muslims bad, everyone else good.
The useful idiots are out this evening I see defending the Jihadis. I’m sure they’ll return the favour.
and they call the likes of scipio a bigot?, when he like me thinks the spread of this Islamic disease will have my grand children cursing me!.
Wiiliam some people won’t realise until it’s too late and they’re jizya paying dhimmis.
Ten Major I judge the actions of jihadists by the prophet they wish to emulate, not by ridiculous comparisons to completely different religions, and this and the actions of the likes of Isis is completely in tune with his teachings.
It’s clear from both of your comments that you’re a self-loathing western hating apologist for Islamic terrorism. It must be hard to look in the mirror.
I neither condone nor support the likes of ISIS, how you come to that conclusion is beyond me. They are an anathema to me. My whole point is not to blame different religions or it’s followers for the sins of others who may even claim to speak for them. You may enjoy sitting god like and judging entire swathes of humanity based on the actions of some insane group of fanatics but I don’t.
I would never make a Jew unwelcome because of the actions of the IDF, no more than I would make a Muslim feel unwelcome for the actions of some crazy group like ISIS. I am also educated enough to know that Judaism has many aspects, so too does Islam. That said I am suspicious of all religious groupings, especially Monotheistic ones.
Something tell me you would never be called a self loather among your colleagues.
All I do know for certain is that the only troops on the ground fighting ISIS are The Kurds, Hezbollah, Medhi Army in Iraq and the army of the Syrian state.Where is the religion of peace (Christianity) in all this? Ten to fifteen thousand meters above it all at best and then almost exclusively over Iraq.
The defenders of civilisation are an unlikely, odd and disparate group to say the least.
You should have mentioned in your piece that the Irish Defence Forces are deployed to Mali in small numbers.
They are there as part of an EU training mission working with the British Army to train the local army.
One Irish officer is in Bamako attached to the mission HQ, the others are 100k away at a training camp.
Your reporter should check that they are safe, if they are on a heightened security alert, and the effect this attack will have on the mission, if any.
I was actually drinking in that place two weeks ago.
that would be asking the journal staff to do some work and not just redistribute articles from other news agencies.
I wonder who’s responsible….
Isn’t it bad enough that our army is collaborating with an organisation that was involved in the murder of hundreds of unarmed Irish men, women and children either directly or by their trained proxies but you want to highlight that shame?
Dear oh dear, I am all for peace and reconciliation and close ties with our nearest neighbour but not with their military which has colluded in murder and cover up so much, all with in living memory. Some of these thugs are still serving in high rank. The British army’s record in ‘training’ armies and militias (murder gangs) is horrific compared to our army’s proud and excellent record in peace keeping.
Cowardly murderers who are muslim
@Buckwheat MacMillan. Verey well put. I couln’t agree with you more.
Mali is far but Clongriffin is near. Focus here because this is where the “Fighters in Allah’s Cause” will be born,- bank-rolled by govt. of Qatar who is chief enabler of Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas/ISIS/ETC.
And below is a quote from Mohammed’s war manual.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 196 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira
Allah ‘s Apostle said, ” I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,’ and whoever says, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,’ his life and property will be saved by me except for Islamic law, and his accounts will be with Allah, (either to punish him or to forgive him.)”
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