Ireland's Re-Opening - What Can We Do?
Community
2
min read
08 Jun 2020
As the island of Ireland begins its re-opening in the new “post-Covid” world, what is it that we can do, now some further restrictions have been lifted? We’ve compiled a list of restrictions which have been eased in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Republic Of Ireland
When the “lockdown” came in to effect in March, it was difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The unknown was the most daunting part for many. However, the roadmap announced by Government gave the population a focus. Phase 1 began on the 18th of May and this allowed groups of 4 people meet outside, a lifeline for many. And when Phase 2 was announced on Friday 5th of June, a nation sighed in relief together as we are beginning to get back to some sort of normality. Below are five things you should know for Phase 2:
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Stay Local: You may travel within your own county, or up to 20 kilometres from your home if crossing county boundaries.
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Meeting other people: You may meet up to 6 people from outside your household both indoors and outdoors for social gatherings. Organised outdoor exercise, sporting, cultural or social activities of up to 15 people may take place.
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Shops: All retail is reopening. Shop locally, shop safely and support businesses in your community.
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Work from home: It is more important than ever to work from home where possible.
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Transport: Walk or cycle if you can. Only use public transport if you absolutely need to. Public transport capacity is limited because of social distancing requirements.
Northern Ireland
Following similar timelines to the Republic, Northern Ireland have been following a five step phased re-opening. As with both juristictions, June 8th has brought new changes to the way we live our lives. See below for the restrictions which have been lifted in Northern Ireland today:
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Those who are shielding will be able to spend time outside with people from their own household or a person from another household whilst ensuring social distancing is observed;
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People will be permitted to leave home to attend to the needs or welfare of an animal or animals;
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Outdoor marriages and civil partnership ceremonies will be allowed, with number of people attending limited to 10;
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Outdoor sports facilities will be permitted to re-open;
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The conduct of business by outdoor non-food retailers will be permitted, including new and used car retailers; retailers of light motor vehicles, lorries/trailers; retailers of caravans or motorhomes, and retailers of agricultural or other large machinery;
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The conduct of business by non-food retail outlets with lower frequency customer visits and/or with a greater propensity for larger store areas will be permitted. But only where those outlets have direct street access or direct access within a retail park.
As with everything, it is important we continue to follow the public health guidelines when re-opening our towns, villages and counties. Some useful sources of information can be found at the below links:
ROI
https://www.gov.ie/en/
https://www.hse.ie/eng/
NI
https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/
https://www.nhs.uk/