Why is there a new roadmap?

QA &

■ Is lockdown ending tomorrow?

■ No, but we will definitely have greater freedoms.

The original plan was that we would be able to travel 20km from home tomorrow but that idea has been scrapped and now we can travel anywhere within our counties, unless you live in a small county or near a county boundary. Then you can travel anywhere within your county or 20km from home, whichever is greater. The return of other things will ramp-up too, so there should be a sense of freedom.

■ You’ll start sounding like George Michael if you keep saying “freedom”. What else can I do tomorrow?

■ You can go shopping because the high street stores will start coming back but they will all have staggered opening hours and we won’t be able to browse like we used to. We are being encouraged to pick up what we need, pay for it and get out. There are other things we can do too, six people who don’t live together can meet up at a house but they still have to keep two metres apart. Bigger groups can meet outside for exercise, and libraries and marts can reopen.

■ Can I go back to work?

■ If you can work from home, you probably can’t go back but many jobs where it is not possible to work from home will start coming on stream again now.

■ Why has the old plan been scrapped?

■ Resistance. It’s clear the Government and officials realised many people had given up on lockdown. There are counties that haven’t had a Covid-19 case for weeks and a willingness to comply with the measures had waned. Nationally, the R0 number is below one and has been this low for some time now. This means the spread of the virus is decreasing, as is the threat of infection — for now at least. There was also a need to get the economy going again quickly. Businesses are on their knees, thousands are out of work and there is no point dragging out this phased reopening for five phases if there is a way of doing it in four.

■ There are only four phases now?

■ Yes, the last phase is gone now, so we should probably be able to come out of lockdown in July, instead of August. Phase two kicks in tomorrow and phase three starts at the end of June. By June 29, restaurants will be open, pubs can start serving again if they also serve food. Hotels, hostels and B&Bs can come back too. Mass and religious services are back then as well, as long as numbers are restricted.

■ Can we go on foreign holidays as well?

■ We don’t really know if we are coming or going yet, because the new plan doesn’t outline a recommended date for international travel.

Unless you are willing to go through a two-week quarantine when you get home, it’s probably best not to think about booking a holiday just yet.

■ What about a holiday at home? You said something about hotels.

■ The Government is going to lift all domestic travel bans by the end of June, so Costa del Bundoran or Playa del Ballybunion are possibilities.

■ Is that phase four?

■ No, phase three is June

29. July 20 is when we enter the final phase. That’s still the date when the hairdressers will reopen. Creches should come back then too, and nightclubs, theatres, cinemas and all the other fun stuff for people who are too old for creche, provided they can put social distancing in place. All sports should be back by then as well.

■ Ah, so we might see the Dublin six-in-a-row?

■ Hard to say, but GAA will come back eventually. Contact training resumes later this month and club competitions are expected to resume late in July, but Croke Park has only earmarked October 17 as the start date for intercounty games.

■ And what happens if there’s a spike in cases?

■ Hopefully, that won’t happen but it’s hard to imagine we don’t go back to square one if there’s danger of the virus spreading rapidly again.