Hopes raised for summer easing of lockdown but pubs must wait

“Significant but slow” easing of the Covid-19 lockdown is set to happen over the coming two months, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said.

Mr Donnelly said Ireland was ahead of even the most optimistic scenarios for the decline in Covid-19 case numbers. This meant that the country was now in a “very positive position to talk about May, June, July and the easing of restrictions”.

But the Health Minister, who infuriated Government colleagues in both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael by weekend suggestions of changing the vaccine roll-out to favour the 18-30 age group, steadfastly refused to be drawn into speculation about what was opening first.

The age-change suggestion was instantly crushed by Government – but only after it sowed public confusion and anger.

Asked about which conditions would be eased and in what order, Mr Donnelly, declined to comment.

“Those are conversations that have yet to be had,” he told RTÉ’s This Week programme.

“What that means is we can look at the full list that was set out two or three weeks ago...it puts us in a very positive position for the conversation about May, June and July,” he said of the improved case numbers.

He added that his contacts with the scientific experts in Nphet last week were the most positive in a long time.

Mr Donnelly was speaking before yesterday’s Covid-19 statistics were released, showing 269 new virus cases – a four-month low for any single day.

Even though officials counselled that weekend figures were sometimes distorted by report delays, they also noted that other indicators, such as numbers in hospital and intensive care units, continued to be a cause for hope.

Mr Donnelly said that under consideration for the start of May was the full reopening of “construction, non-essential retail, personal services, museums, libraries, religious services and so forth”.

He said no decisions had been made along the lines of hospitality and outdoor pubs yet.

Another Government source suggested that even outdoor dining and drinking was unlikely until mid-June – but noted even that could not be relied on.

But Taoiseach Micheál Martin has again promised a major stimulus plan for the hospitality sector to help it recover whenever the pandemic restrictions are lifted.

Mr Martin said the Government’s National Economic Plan was being worked on by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath, and the catering aid package would be part of this.

The Taoiseach said the plan would focus on supporting the 180,000 people working in hotels, pubs and restaurants and across the hospitality sector. “We’ve got to look at the medium term: how do we give substantive ballast or support to the hospitality and the entertainment sectors? They’ve suffered the most and they’re going to need priming, they’re going to need support beyond the emergence from the pandemic,” he told the Business Post.

But there may be better news for hairdressers and barbers and those awaiting a hairdo since Christmas. These may be allowed to reopen, subject to certain conditions, from late next month.

Online Editors