From meeting outdoors to the 5km limit – what is the rationale behind the lockdown restrictions?

Eilish O'Regan

A Garda checkpoint on the N4 in Dublin. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

A Garda Covid-19 checkpoint at Blackchurch on the N7 outbound from Dublin. Photo: Gerry Mooney

A Garda checkpoint on the N4 in Dublin. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

A Garda Covid-19 checkpoint at Blackchurch on the N7 outbound from Dublin. Photo: Gerry Mooney

A Garda checkpoint on the N4 in Dublin. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

March 25 2021 02:30 AM

SIMPLE, sharp messages such as “stay at home” have worked well during the pandemic, but the rationale behind some rules is less clear.

The 5km travel limit from home is up for review on Monday and everyone would like it to be extended. But what difference would it make if it was 10km?

Likewise, public health officials will be weighing up whether to allow small groups to gather outside as well as permit some non-contact sports like golf.

The construction industry is also waiting to see if it can reopen on a phased basis to allow building of public and private homes to continue.

Movement and Covid-19

The 5km travel limit is 3km further than we were allowed to move from home during the first lockdown.

We have been told a 5km limit has no magic properties other than to put a brake on the virus spreading between communities. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said recently that “the way this virus transmits is if people come into contact with one another”.

He added: “Equally, when you have a cluster of infection in a community, we don’t want it to spread to another community. There is no scientific rationale underpinning 5km, 4km or 6km.

“But there is very clear public health rationale in asking people to stay at home and setting a perimeter which facilitates clear understanding of what we are asking people to do.

"Last year we had a 2km measure in place – and on reflection we felt that was overly restrictive.”

So if the 5km is extended, it increases the chances of the virus travelling further and being passed on. The greater the limit, the greater the risk of spreading Covid to more people.

Outdoor socialising

One of the themes emerging for gradual exit from lockdown is the greater emphasis to be put on what can be done outdoors. The risk of transmission of the virus outdoors is lower than indoors, but not zero.

It will be interesting to know where a limited number of people from different households could be allowed to meet – with public health measures in place such as physical distancing and mask wearing.

It is almost certain it will not be allowed in back gardens. That is a recipe for catching the virus, with Irish weather as unpredictable as it is . A heavy shower, and everyone dashes inside – and the mixing becomes much more dicey.

Non-contact sports

There is pressure on to allow the resumption of non-contact sports for children and adults. The least troublesome would be games like golf and tennis for adults, as long as people confine themselves to the course or court.

Children’s sports may be more tricky, particularly in light of the increase in cases of the virus in the under-12s. It’s the potential meeting up of parents, sharing of cars and general fuss around sports activities that Nphet will be ranking on Monday.

Building workers

There are strong calls to allow the building trade to resume construction of public and private homes.

This would trigger movement of workers, as well as activity from suppliers. There is also potential for transmission during break times or sharing of transport. The Construction Industry Federation said that with 40pc of the industry working in lockdown, the highest case-load in a week was 39 out of 40,000 workers. But virus numbers nationally remain high.