Irish government announces acceleration of Republic's lockdown exit plan

By David Young, Cate McCurry and Aine McMahon, PA

The Irish Government has announced an acceleration of the country's lockdown exit plan.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said phase two of the roadmap would be triggered on Monday as scheduled.

But he said a series of other measures, originally envisaged for later phases of the plan, would also be given the green light from next week.

The five-phase plan has also now been condensed into a four-phase plan, meaning Ireland will move out of lockdown at a faster pace that previously planned.

From Monday, all retail outlets will reopen with staggered hours; the distance restriction on exercise has been extended from 5km to 20k, or any distance within a person's own county boundaries; and people will be allowed to visit the homes of those cocooning, as long as personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing are used.

Up to four people would also be allowed to visit other households, while sports teams could resume non-contact training in small groups.

The Government has also announced a series of additional measures for children and older people, with plans for visiting to resume at care homes and permission for playgroups and summer camps to operate.

Phase three is scheduled for June 29, when hotels and other tourism accommodation can reopen.

All travel restrictions will also lift on that date.

Phase four, which will contain all remaining measures in the roadmap, is planned for July 20.

BREAKING: Leo Varadkar announces that the Republic of Ireland will move into what he calls "phase two plus" of their lockdown plan.
He says phase 3 will begin on 29th June and phase 4 on 20th July.
He says he has spoken to the First and Deputy First Minister about the plans. pic.twitter.com/05ztVTmGKW

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) June 5, 2020

The Taoiseach said restrictions on large gatherings would continue into the autumn.

Mr Varadkar made the announcement in an address to the nation on Friday afternoon.

He described the measures being introduced on Monday as "phase two plus".

"I've always said we would accelerate the reopening our country but only if it was safe to do so," he said.

"Thanks to your actions we have now reached that point.

"And with your help, we'll keep moving forward.

"So we all need to stick to what we've been doing right."

The coronavirus death toll in Ireland rose to 1,664 on Thursday, after a further five deaths were announced.

There were 38 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, taking the total since the outbreak began to 25,142.

Mr Varadkar said he had informed the leaders of the Northern Ireland Executive about the plans before making them public.

The Taoiseach hailed the Irish public's adherence to the restrictions during lockdown.

It is safe to move to Phase 2 of our plan to reopen our country from Monday, thanks to the considerable sacrifices you have made to restrict the spread of the virus. We are also announcing an acceleration of the Roadmap, with four phases instead of five. #Covid19 #Roadmap pic.twitter.com/TSHWdKkSKS

— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) June 5, 2020

"Thanks to your perseverance in pushing back Covid-19, I am announcing an acceleration of the roadmap," he said.

"Over the last few months fear has exerted a kind of gravity pulling us down, but now we find there is hope lifting us up again.

"During this emergency we have suffered as a country, lost loved ones, and changed the way that we work and live.

"We are making progress.

"We are heading in the right direction.

"And we have earned the right to be hopeful about the future again."

Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar said no date has been confirmed to resume air travel.

He added: "I would encourage people not to go booking flights just yet, that would be premature."

He also said that hairdressers, barbers and nail bars will remain shut until the final phase on July 20.

"Everyone would really like to see them open as soon as possible but as of now that remain in phase four and that is for very good reason," he added.

The Cabinet made the decisions after receiving advice from experts on the National Public Health Emergency Team.

Mr Varadkar said ministers had also considered Government reports on the economic and social impact of Covid-19.