WE ALL HAVE TO DIG DEEP
▪ Taoiseach’s impassioned plea to the nation ▪ Schools to stay open and GAA matches survive ▪ Six weeks to pull together to have meaningful Christmas ▪ PUP back to €350
IRELAND is to enter into a second lock down from tomorrow at midnight for six weeks – but there is ‘light’ and ‘hope’ at the end of the tunnel, the Taoiseach has promised.
In a sombre message to the public last night, Micheál Martin admitted the Level 5 announcement would bring a ‘sense of disappointment, loneliness and despair’ for many.
However, he urged the nation to ‘pull together’ and follow the rules to suppress the virus over the next six weeks so that families will be able to have a ‘meaningful Christmas’. Not ruling out further lockdowns, he called on the nation to ‘dig deep and persevere’, saying the
‘future is in our hands’ but that everyone must take the threat of Covid-19 seriously.
The restrictions – which will see non-essential businesses close, and pubs, cafes and restaurants only allowed to offer takeaway and delivery services – will remain in place until December 1.
Mr Martin said the Government was introducing Level 5 restrictions for the entire country because ‘the evidence of a potentially grave situation arising in the weeks ahead was now too strong’.
In his address to the nation at Government Buildings last night, Mr Martin said: ‘The days are getting shorter and colder but I ask you to remember this: even as the winter comes in, there is hope. And there is light.’
He added: ‘It won’t be the same Christmas that we have enjoyed in years past, but if we all pull together and follow the spirit of these new rules, it will be a very special time and will give us all some respite from the hardship of the last seven months. If each of us does what is asked of us for a period of just six weeks, we will suppress this virus and we will emerge from these restrictions on December 1.’
He said schools and creches would remain open because ‘we cannot and will not allow our children and young people’s futures to be another victim of this disease’. The Taoiseach added: ‘They need their education.’
On the subject of Covid outbreaks in schools, he said: ‘NPHET are saying transmission rates are very low [in schools], they are safe places.
‘We will provide more resources to ensure schools can cope. Whatever is required.’
The prospect of thousands more people forced out of work as a result was met with criticism from some quarters. However, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be restored to the higher level of €350 for any workers who earn €400 or more a week.
Reacting to the news last night Retail Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the retail sector, said the move to nationwide Covid Level 5 restrictions was a serious blow to the many ‘nonessential’ retailers that would have to close.
Retail Ireland Director Arnold Dillon said: ‘Many retailers are facing into a deeply uncertain Christmas trading period. Many thousands of businesses will have to close and tens of thousands of retail workers will be out of work.
‘It is important that customers support affected businesses through online and click-and-collect services where possible.
‘While important Government supports are in place, those retailers without a developed online offering are particularly exposed.
‘The restoration of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will pro
Social bubbles can breach 5km limit
vide important support to many and is very welcome. It is crucial that these measures work and we are in a place to reopen retail in advance of Christmas. We simply cannot contemplate serious rolling restrictions into the future.’
The Taoiseach added last night: ‘We want to go to Level 3 on December 1. Obviously want to get to R-number [reproduction rate] consistently below 1.
‘We want to see a downward trajectory of cases in terms of the incidence rate.’
Last night 1,031 further Covid-19 cases were confirmed, which was particularly high for a Monday.
Under the new measures, people will be asked to restrict their movements to within a 5km radius of their homes with gardaí given powers to issue fines to those caught breaching travel restrictions.
Exemptions on this will apply to essential workers, such as nurses.
A memo will be brought to Cabinet today by the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly with details of the graduated fines.
One Cabinet source told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘ There was a feeling that enforcement was needed around travel. Public compliance simply isn’t at the levels it was at back in March.’
No social or family gatherings are allowed in homes or gardens, but visits on compassionate grounds and for caring purposes can continue. People f rom one other household are also permitted to meet outdoors for exercise.
The Taoiseach added that social isolation and anxiety were very ‘real issues’ and therefore those living alone or parenting alone would be able to pair with another household as part of a ‘support bubble’. However, a social bubble with one other household can be outside the 5km travel limit.
Unlike the previous lockdown, construction will also be allowed.
Elite level sports will also be able to continue. Golf courses will be closed. And most non- essential retail, hairdressers, barbers and salons will have to close.
Attendance at weddings will be maintained at 25 guests. Funerals will be limited to ten people.
The public will continue to be asked to work from home, except for essential workers.
Those aged over 70 and the medically vulnerable are advised to stay at home and continue to exercise personal judgment. They should limit engagement to a very small network for short periods of time
In recognition of the impact of restrictions on children, non- contact training can continue for school-aged children, outdoors, in pods of up to 15.
All other training activities should be individual only.
The measures i mplemented follow a record number of cases recorded over recent days.
Last night the total Covid cases in Ireland passed the 50,000 mark.
The Cabinet was yesterday forced to bow to pressure from public health chiefs who last Thursday recommended a Level 5 lockdown for six weeks as cases surge.
It was the second time in a fortnight that National Public Health Emergency Team officials had advised the Government to move to the highest level of measures. The Government did not heed the previous advice. Instead they placed the entire country into Level 3 restrictions.
And last night, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar commented on his previous remarks about the NPHET advice not being ‘thought through’.
He said of his earlier criticism of NPHETs advice to move to Level 5: ‘I was very critical of NPHET. I wasn’t very critical of Dr [Tony] Holohan, although some tried to
say I was. I was critical of the way the recommendation was landed on the Irish people… and that it wasn’t thought through… the criticism was valid at the time.
‘What’s changed, we tried Level 3, I think it was worth trying. It doesn’t look like it has worked in Dublin… We had a chance to think things through.’
Speaking on Claire Byrne Live last night, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly also defended the Government’s inaction on NPHET’s advice two weeks ago to go Level 5. He said: ‘We had a Level 2 recommendation from NPHET on a
Thursday evening and then we had a Level 5 recommendation 72 hours later. The country would not have been ready, we had no indication that was the case. ‘The timing of six weeks is new. There was modelling done to show how we get out of this, we now have an exit strategy.
The Oireachtas has also been put on stand-by to pass emergency legislation to put rent freezes and eviction bans into law. TDs last night were told to prepare to sit throughout the weekend to push through the legislation.
Sources told the Mail that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will today bring a memo to Cabinet to introduce a moratorium on evictions. The legislation will stipulate the ban stays in place for the period of the Level 5 lockdown.
The Government is now bracing to provide supports to 200,000 extra people who will be out of work due to the new restrictions.
Last night’s briefing heard moving to Level 5 is costing €200million a week – €1.5billion for six weeks, not taking into account for potential fall in revenue.
But both Minister Donnelly and the Taoiseach did not rule out further lockdowns after December 1.
‘I think we will have Covid-19 with us for the entirety of 2021… Don’t rule out the levels going back up again and the restrictions in the next six months… When we reopened from the first lockdown we got a reasonable stretch,’ Mr Martin said last night.
Mr Martin said the Government cannot stop the virus on its own. ‘There are no laws or powers that can change the nature of this virus,’ he said. ‘Many people have done everything that has been asked of them. But some have not. As Taoiseach I am asking everyone again to take this threat seriously.’