Fianna Fail is putting renewed pressure on the Government to bring an end to the restrictions around exercising while other measures remain in place to help combat the spread of Covid19.
Last week Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin said the restrictions stipulating people must stay within 5km of home were exercising was no longer credible.
The restriction began as a 2km rule but was then extended to 5km, when Phase 1 of the easing of lock-down began. Furthermore, when Phase 2 begins on June 8th the exercise zone will be increased to 20km and it will remain at 20km until July 20th.
However, in its latest statements on the matter Fianna
Fail has said all kilometre-based restrictions should expire on June 29th, some
three weeks earlier than planned.
The party, which
is about to go into power with Fine Gael, has pressed its case in the Sunday
Independent today.
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"I think we need to set the end of June as the goal
for our restrictions to be lifted," Jim O’Callaghan TD said, with the
newspaper reporting the Government was considering the proposal.
O’Callaghan, who may be the next minister for justice,
made his remarks specifically about the 20km rule.
However, Fianna Fail is pushing for that rule to be
scrapped early among a range of measures that would see more businesses opened
faster than is currently planned.
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It also wants the social distancing measure of remaining
2 metres apart from people you do not share a home with to be reduced to 1
metre.
The kilometre-based restrictions only apply to exercising
and they have had a significant impact on those wishing to cycle outdoors.
While the extension of the restriction, from an initial
2km to 5km since May 18th, was welcomed by many cyclists, the ‘5km radius of
home’ rule is set to remain until next Monday week, June 8th.
At that point Phase 3 of the easing of restrictions
begins and 5km will be extended to 20km. And the zone in which people will be
able to exercise will remain a 20km radius of home until July 20th, when the
kilometre-based restriction lapses.
Bringing that lapsing point forward by three weeks, as
Fianna Fail is pressing for, would mean cyclists could train anywhere they
chose sooner than currently planned.
However, it may also have a significant impact on a
return to group activities, including sportives and races.
In its road map for cycling re-emerging from the Covid19
restrictions, Cycling Ireland has said it expects group activities – training,
racing and sportives – to re-commence in Phase 5, starting on August 10th.
However, the federation adds that when group activities
start it is possible cyclists may only be able to engage in such activities
initially in their home county or region. It notes that aspect was yet to be
confirmed.
However, if travel restrictions for exercise were
scrapped as early as June 29th, it would raise the prospect that no county or
regional restriction would be applied to racing or training when those
activities they were permitted in Phase 5.
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