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The Government
has signaled an approximate time line for easing the Covid-19 restrictions on
Irish society, and which have greatly impacted all forms of cycling in the
Republic, saying they would be reviewed at the end of March.
Some changes may
then be possible – depending on case numbers and vaccine roll-out - in the
period after Easter, which falls on the first weekend of April.
Taoiseach Micheál
Martin has addressed the nation as the Government has unveiled its new plan for
tackling Covid-19 for the next six weeks.
And if case
numbers continued to be kept down and driven lower, and the ramping up of the
vaccine programme continued, the restrictions such as the ‘5km from home’ rule
for exercising and the ban on sporting and outdoor events could be reviewed.
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Before then, however,
Irish society needed to adhere to the Level 5 restrictions which have now been
extended until April 5th, Easter Monday, as expected.
Mr Martin said he
recognised that people were “completely fed up” with the restrictions and “very
worried” about the future, especially when it came to their jobs.
He added the way people
in Ireland had driven down the rate of virus in circulation of late was “among
the best in Europe” but the new UK variant meant the situation is the country
was significantly changed and great caution was required.
Over the next six
weeks to April 5th Ireland needed to get case numbers down and increase the vaccine
roll-out and so Level 5 restrictions would remain until April 5th, though
schools would begin to open on a phased basis from March 1st.
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“In advance of April 5th, we will then review the situation,” Mr Martin said of possibly easing some restrictions, stressing the importance of adhering to Level 5 in coming weeks.
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Mr Martin continued: “We want to re-open society as soon and as safely as possible. So if we can maintain downward pressure on the disease, and keep our numbers low, we will then move into the next phase.
“There are a
number of areas where we’ll be assessing progress when considering what changes
may be possible. The Government will examine when it may be safe to begin
easing the restrictions on outdoor gatherings, some sporting activities, look
at the gradual re-opening of construction and we would like to move on the 5km
limit for non-essential journeys.”
He said the rate of community transmission would be a key factor in influencing when these steps could be taken, adding “we need to take the month of March to really drive down case numbers and get them as low as possible”.
This video is Micheál Martin's speech in full
Hospital and
intensive care unit occupancy would also be crucial indicators for easing some
measures, as would the vaccine roll out. But Mr Martin said “steady progress”
was being made with the vaccine.
Over 300,000
doses had already been administered and Ireland was now ready for a “major
ramping up” of the vaccine programme.
By the end of
March, 1.25 million doses of vaccine would be administered. Then, depending on
vaccine orders arriving as scheduled, an average of more than one million doses
per month would be administered in April, May and June.
That meant by the
end of April up to 40 per cent of people over the aged of 18 years will have
their first dose. By the end of May up to 64 per cent will have had their first
dose and by the end of June up to 82 per cent of adults will have at least one
dose, with 55-60 per cent fully vaccinated.
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