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HIGH STREET STORES will be able to open their doors to customers on Monday, it has been confirmed.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has given the green light to government to allow major retail shops to reopen.
It is understood that shopping centres will not be permitted to reopen in this phase.
Instead, under Phase 2 which begins on Monday, small retail outlets with a small number of staff were set to be be permitted to open, as long as retailers could control the numbers of shoppers.
Under the published government roadmap, all other major retailers would have had to wait until Phase 3.
However, it is believed that Cabinet will tomorrow approve the reopening of all major retail outlets on 8 June.
Stores must adhere to social distancing rules and only retail outlets located on street-level will be permitted to open.
The shops cannot be enclosed in shopping centres.
Shopping centres are still viewed as a higher risk due to fears members of the public could congregate together.
Changing rooms in any of the shops that reopen on Monday must remain closed, it is understood.
Earlier today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil the government had made proposals to NPHET to bring forward the easing of some restrictions. It is believed the reopening of major retail stores formed part of the proposal.
The announcement comes after concerns were raised by businesses and the opposition about some retailers being allowed to reopen while others had to stay closed.
At the onset of Phase One, there was anger by some shop owners over the backtracking in allowing homeware stores to open while hardware stores were allowed open their doors.
Questions were also raised about the real threat of the spread of the virus in shops after a recent report in The Sunday Times newspaper which found that supermarkets Aldi and Lidl reported that around 20 staff members between the two retailers contracted coronavirus, out of workforce of about 9,000.
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It’s 3 weeks since a Wisconsin court declared their lock-down illegal. They opened their businesses, pubs and restaurants immediately and the people arrived in their droves a move I viewed as brave, but time would tell.
Well time has shown, Wisconsin was ranked 23rd worst out of the 50 states at the time they opened up, now they’re ranked 26th, an improvement of 3. A population of 5.8m but only 616 deaths!
We need to get on with our lives, open things up, treat us like adults and leave us take responsibility for our actions.
You would have to be blind not to see the kids playing and hanging out in close proximity, many people back at work, we pass each other ever closer in supermarket aisles and yet the numbers still go down, we got the message – awareness and hygiene.
Our compliance with restrictions has diminished dramatically as a nation mainly as it’s not natural. This so-called “new normal” is being chipped away at day by day and will hopefully someday soon be cast back from whence it came.
Interaction is an integral part of our society as is work, it’s time to give both back to us now please.
Time for our government to listen to the people, all the people, not just the overly cautious health officials and the perpetually scared among us.
Time to stop treating us like fools as in yesterdays ridiculous report that the 3 month antibodies only apply to health care workers who’ve had Covid and not anyone else. Time for Holohan to take a bow and exit stage left, his work here is complete.
@Mark Malone: Well said sir
Trying to create a risk free world is futile and at best foolish. It’s understandable some people are scared considering the coverage by RTÉ and if so they should continue in self inflicted lockdown, while the country gets back to work, fun and life again
@Mark Malone: agreed.
@Mark Malone: Well said! Totally agree
@Seamus Hughes: Yeah, and those fools who get vaccines and wear seat-belts and check both directions when crossing the road. Sure people die of diseases and crashes and get run over anyway so why bother, eh?
@Mark Malone: I actually agree with you on opening, but I believe even though they opened up, there was not a huge rush to actually go back to normal. So even though they were open for business it as a much quieter business. I think it will be the same here. Some people will rush out to avail of the reinstatement of their freedom of movement but many will not. I don’t see much change in my life except for some new clothes.
@Mark Malone:
Another armchair expert.. Wisconsin is half the size of Italy with a population density of 40 per square km.
@Mark Malone: clueless.
@Seamus Hughes: utterly clueless.
@Brendan Cooney: Why? He gave his opinion and a lot of people would agree with it. What is your synopsis? Live in fear everybody until a vaccine may or may not come around in 2 or 3 years time.
@Mark Malone:
You must stay Locked-down until you are guaranteed immortality. Remain in your homes until nobody dies of anything ever again.
We must have commands from ‘our betters’ to follow. We must vilify those who ignore those commands.
Let them take all of your freedoms and joys as long as they can keep you safe
@Virus-free Turkey: there’s a saying out there about sarcasm . Look it up
@Mark Malone: Highly misleading.
The incubation period of the virus is between 1.5 to 11 days (it average of 5.1 days) and then there is another 2 to 3 week delay after symptoms first appear before a person recovers or dies from an illness.
Therefore, the deaths resulting from the relaxation of restrictions on May 13th, will not be seen until 3th – 10th of May.
Already, the relaxation of Wisconsin restrictions has resulted in an increase in new infections:
“One week after the Supreme Court decision Wisconsin reported 528 new COVID-19 cases, the largest single day rise in new COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. The second, third, fourth and fifth highest numbers of new cases also occurred in the ten day period after the Court overruled Governor Evers’ “Safer-At-Home” orders. However, average daily tests increased by an average of over 1000 tests per day state wide, while the average percentage of positive test results dropped by 25% during this same 1 week period.”
“By May 27, two weeks after the Supreme Court overruled Governor Evers’ “Safer-At-Home” orders, the seven-day moving average number of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin had climbed steadily from 286 to 436 cases per day.”
Refs.:
@Mark Malone: must be great to be in the low risk category Mark . I would be as keen to re open everything as soon as possible if I was low risk aswell . I am thankful that the government are thinking about the likes of me who are in in the minority in their decision making on this virus and not pandering to the majority who will be absolutely fine .
@Mark Malone: Not a great time to advocate an American approach to anything.
@Mark Malone: Just a couple of things there Mark.Any chance you could could mention in your stats e.g. population 5.8million etc that Wisconsin is just a little over twice the size of Ireland and that it’s most populated city has approx 600k residents in comparison to Dublin’s 1.4million and therefore Wisconsin’s population is much more dispersed making it harder to contract it there than here oh and while you’re at it you might put a caveat with your posts that now might not be a great time to follow America’s lead in..well anything really.
Thanks a mill,
John.
Main Street not High Street
@ConPhoto: Glad I’m not the only one. High Street is a geographic location in British towns.
@ConPhoto: The main street in Kilkenny is called High Street
@Nosmo King:
There is a High Street in Dublin.
@ConPhoto: refers to a type of shop rather than an actual street type
@Joe Brennan: mere coincidence.
@Joe Toner: I don’t think the article is about that one.
@Joe Toner: the one at Christchurch? it has one hardware shop on it and a focus Ireland, hardly a high street
@ConPhoto: Exactly, who says “high street shops”? This isn’t the UK, fortunately.
Yes, let’s stop listening to the experts & scientists and go with the guy on the internet who cherry-picked an example from thousands of miles away to help prop up the massive chip on his shoulder.
@Kem Trayle: Stay scared Kem
@Kem Trayle: Sure, experts like the WHO said we should not wear masks at the beginning. Time to move on.
@Seamus Kelly: Experts are expected to be infallible and anything wrong is used to prove all science is wrong. If they’re wrong about this then they’re wrong about that.
Donald Trump is held infallible because he vindicates deeply help, usually deeply racist beliefs. Because he validates and vindicates those beliefs he must be right and held infallible about everything, because if he’s wrong about this then he could be wrong about that.
It’s interesting how brainwashing works.
@Mark Malone: Stay needy Mark.
@Seamus Kelly: Yes, and at one point doctors were prescribing cocaine for the ghosts in our blood but grown-ups move on when new evidence comes to light.
Every man in the country is suddenly dreading to hear the “what the Mrs bought in Penney’s” stories.
@LangerDan: just hope that the penny’s is in a shopping center and then it can’t open
@eoin carroll: what’s the definition of a shopping center. Nutgrove near me never closed. Some of the stores closed but a few stayed open. It would be strange if Tesco , boots, dealz were open and penny’s and Dunne’s closed beside it. Not much logic in that. I suppose extra queue lines would be harder to manage?
@John fitzpatrick: there is a Penny’s on oconnell street in Dublin that is not in a shopping centre
@Susan O’flaherty: and Mary street
@eoin carroll: Wexford Carlow not shopping centre
@Mary Oliver: Carlow is now in the shopping centre unfortunately. Their stand alone store was moved to the shopping centre for renovations seemingly (probably 2yrs or more now). So Carlow would probably have to remain closed.
You’re all very gung ho about reopening but I bet none of you work in retail. It’s a scary time for retail workers to have this dropped on them only a few days before everywhere is allowed to open. Most places that were opening the 29th had a strict schedule organised for the full week previous to clean the stores and train staff accordingly, what happens now? Every town and city in the country is going to be a breeding ground from Monday onwards. It’s all well and good wanting the economy to restart but that’s not much good when you have people terrified to do their low paying jobs
@Whatever: agree with you but thousands of us have already been working all through this pandemic, many of us on low wages. We need to do something about low pay.
@Whatever: most major retailers have already set the train in motion staff have been in stores behind the scene if we were to wait till everything perfect we’d never open supermarkets and staff adapted overnight, and hopefully this will stop some madness already noticed queues dropping when DIY opened people nó longer felt need to go to supermarket as much so much smaller queues lately now personally I won’t be rushing to penneys but if it takes some of preesure of its all good
@Harry N: absolutely and I hope you guys get rewarded in some way cos it’s awful. I’m just talking mostly about those who have been out since March, myself included, it’s a long time to be off and this announcement has brought out some serious anxiety in myself and colleagues. If less scrupulous retailers now intend to open Monday rather than the 29th I can’t imagine it will be with their staffs best interests at heart which paves the way for bad planning, training and safety
@nelliekel: well that’s the thing, they haven’t because they were given the 29th as the opening date with the week before for training and cleaning
@Whatever: Appreciate your concerns,l but the risk of serious illness is extremely low to all, but the elderly and those with underlying illness. We must move on.
@Whatever: Tesco’s. Aldi, dunes, deals, pharmacies all opened throughout pandemic, i dont see them as a ‘breeding ground’. If public numbers in stores are limited and people sanitize, the same as they have been in the supermarkets, pharmacies then why start with the scare mongering. Calling shops ‘breeding grounds ?
Thanks hun, Penneys…
Question for the Ladies. Is this the good news it could have been, considering the hairdressers are still closed?
@Logan Shepherd: there’s a greater need for new pyjamas after 12 weeks of lockdown, we’re dab hands at colouring the hair by now.
@Logan Shepherd: can buy a hairband in penneys problem solved
@Harry N: What are these pyjamas you speak of?
@nelliekel: Perfect, see, I wouldn’t have thought like that ..
@Logan Shepherd: daywear du lockdown jours
Blanchardstown shopping center never closed. Has been open for Dunnes Stores, M&S, Burger King and the cake shop. Strange that this has been ok all this time but now they other stores still can’t open.
@Derrick Rose: Hehe, it almost sounded like you still try to find sense in the plan. Next you are wondering why restaurants and cafes opening at the same time indoors and outdoors defying scientific evidence. Well, we both aren’t the experts as they say.
For everything else Simon and Leo will have ask nicely if the GMO is in the mood…
@8-Bit-Relic: Who?
@8-Bit-Relic: The GMO? Genetically Modified Organism?
@Robert Clifford: The genetically modified medical officer
@8-Bit-Relic: Putting a typo in it and still many putting the thumbs up… ok…
Should have been GMA of course. Thanks for calling it out
Wait so they are worried because the cases at Aldi and Lidl as a percentage of the total number of staff is less than 1/2 that in the population as a whole? Makes no sense to me.
@Bríd White: I read it as they are wondering if there actually is a real threat in retail outlets because of the low numbers confirmed in Aldi and Lidl staff
@Bríd White: no indication that the staff caught the virus in work
So we can’t try on clothes can we return them
@european liberal: nope. Better know your size.
@european liberal: apparently you can return them
@european liberal: Dunnes have no issue with returns, and even extended the time past the 28 days. I assume other stores will be the same.
@Laura Clayton: OK like if you order something on line so didn’t get to try it on.
@european liberal: soak in bleach or detail.. return …
Hon the pubs
@J: black pints matter
Isn’t Penney’s too big to reopen
Surely the bigger the shop floor area, the safer it is? Obviously cap it, let only a certain amount of customers in, have 2m marks and hand sanitiser available. But the more space there is to give other people a wide berth, the better.
High street in Waterford citu is like 50m long and has a out 4 restaurants on it the rest of the city centre shops wont be happy… :)
What’s a high street? I thought they only existed in England?
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