Retail stores and playgrounds set to get green light
THE Government is set to accelerate the reopening of the country with large retail stores and playgrounds to reopen from Monday.
The moves are expected be announced following a Cabinet meeting today.
Last night, the State’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan said he was open to accelerating the plan ahead of delivering the final advice to Cabinet this morning. The Government made submissions to the Naitonal Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to speed up the unwinding of restrictions by bringing elements of phase three of the roadmap into phase two, which is due to come into force on Monday. It comes amid growing pressure from Opposition parties and business groups to speed up the reawakening of the economy.
It is understood that NPHET will advise that only retailers with on-street access will be permitted to open, with shopping centres remaining closed.
Under the new rules customers will not be permitted to try on clothes or use changing rooms. Strict social distancing rules will see limits placed on the number of people who can enter into stores at any one time.
Proposals are also being considered to allow visitation at hospitals, prisons and nursing homes to resume.
In the Dáil Chamber yesterday the Taoiseach cautioned about reopening the country too quickly and said the Government needed ‘to be confident’ before making any alterations.
‘I am concerned that this week we have seen many people calling for us to accelerate things and jump ahead, before we have the data from the past few days that tells us the impact of the phase one lifting of restrictions had on the spread of the disease.
‘I believe it is better to opt for a slow and steady approach rather than moving too fast and risk falling backwards.
‘Our plan for re-opening the country can be accelerated but only if it is safe to do so.’
Mr Varadkar said he hopes nonessential air travel can resume between Ireland and other countries, but it would be weeks away.
‘I hope that as the world returns to a new normality, we will see international air travel resume between air bridges with countries that have suppressed the virus to the similar extent as us.
‘With air bridges we can lift travel requirements if people are flying to or from another country.
‘It is far too soon for anyone to book their holiday, but summer is not yet lost.’
However, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is set to be Taoiseach of a new government by the end of this month.
Speaking to the Irish Mail on Sunday last weekend he said that the roadmap is a ‘flexible and fluid’ document and that ‘we can look forward to an acceleration of some aspects of it’.
Mr Martin has said he is keen to speed up lifting travel restrictions, childcare and education for children with special needs.