The Government today outlined Ireland’s medium-term plan for Living with Covid-19 including a new framework of Restrictive Measures which may be used to manage the risk from Covid-19. Click on the link below to view the plan.
Resilience and Recovery 2020 - 2021: Plan for living with Covid-19
The framework consists of 5 levels. Information on each level can be found by clicking below.
The lower levels will be in place when there is low transmission of the virus in the country. Higher levels will be used when there is a higher incidence or level of disease. Each level outlines the restrictions which will be in place in areas such as: Social and family gatherings, organised indoor and outdoor gatherings, sports, religious services, hotels, work, travel, Transport and information for the medically vulnerable. Each county will be assigned to one of the 5 levels based on the numbers and incidence of coronavirus in their county.
At present every county in Ireland is now assigned to level 2. Based on the advice of NPHET, and an increasing incidence of the virus in Dublin, there will be some additional measures (beyond those outlined in level 2) to supress the spread of Covid-19 in Dublin from midnight of the 15th.
Some of the national level 2 restrictions include:
Social and family gatherings
In your home or garden you may have visitors from 1-3 other households up to a maximum of 6 people. In Dublin this is limited to visitors from 1 other household only (max 6 people).
Sports
Training can take place in pods of up to 15 outside or 6 indoors (exemptions apply).
There can be up to 100 spectators outdoors and 50 spectators indoors, this increases to 200 for outdoor stadia with a capacity of 5000.
Funerals
Up to 50 mourners may attend funerals
Bars Cafes and Restaurants
Bars, Cafes and Restaurants may open with protective measures in place. Individual groups in each setting are limited to 6 people from no more than 3 households.
Wet pubs, those that do not serve food, may reopen from the 21st of September. In Dublin, additional restrictions mean wet pubs will not yet reopen.
Work
The advice remains to work from home if possible. If you can work from home, you are advised to only attend work for essential on-site meetings, inductions and training.
Schools, childcare services and higher education
Schools, childcare services and higher education remain open with protective measures in place.
Additional restrictions in County Dublin
Given concern over the incidence of Covid-19 in Dublin and based on NPHET’s recommendations, Cabinet agreed that additional measures will apply in the county:
- No more than two households should meet at any given time, and people should have a maximum of six visitors from one other household to their home. Socialising can continue at indoor or outdoor public venues, but only with people from their own household or one other household, and in groups of no more than six.
- Pubs and bars not serving food should remain closed beyond Sept 21st
- Higher and third level institutions should consider enhanced protective measures
- Those living in Dublin should be encouraged to limit travel outside the region and only meet one other household when outside the county.
The government’s announcement also included a €600m additional winter support package for the health service. Full details will be released the coming days, the package aims to care for people in the community where possible, to add capacity within hospitals and to provide pathways back into the community and homes for patients when they are discharged. In addition, supports for businesses and employees were announced. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will remain open to new applicants until the end of the year. Business supports will continue into early 2021.
Additional advice for medically vulnerable people may be issued where necessary.
Cystic Fibrosis and Covid
The HSE has recently updated the advice for People living with CF and coronavirus. Information can be found by clicking here.