You’ve probably heard by now that the government has decided not to move into phase 4 of Ireland’s roadmap to recovery in order to prevent the further spread of coronavirus.
With the reproductive rate of Covid-19 now between 1.2 and 1.8, the aim is to get it back to below 1. With that in mind, the government has decided not to go ahead with phase 4, which was due to begin on Monday, July 20. The decision means that pubs that do not serve food will remain closed until August 10, which was the date that was pencilled in for phase 5 when the original roadmap was issued back in May.
In the meantime, as Ireland looked like it was winning its battle against coronavirus, some alterations have been made but last night’s announcement will be seen as a setback by many in the hospitality industry.
Here’s everything you need to know as phase 4 has been deferred until August 10…
- Face coverings are now mandatory in all shops and retail centres
- Pubs (that can’t operate as restaurants), bars, hotel bars nightclubs and casinos will remain closed
- Social visits to people’s homes should be limited at 10 people from no more than four different households
- The current restrictions of 50 people at indoor gatherings and 200 people at outdoor gatherings have been extended
- The government continues to advise against all non-essential travel, with a ‘green list’ of countries where people can travel safely to be published on Monday, July 20
More information on the current public health measures can be found here.