Ireland will begin to ease the lockdown restrictions from Monday but “there will be bumps in the road”, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced.
The Irish government set out a road map to unlock the restrictions put in place to contain coronavirus, comprising of five stages at three week intervals.
On Friday, Mr Varadkar said it is “safe to proceed” with the first stage in the government’s plan to ease the restrictions.
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Leo Varadkar said it is ‘safe to proceed’ with phase one of easing the lockdown
As of Monday, under phase one, groups of up to four people can meet outdoors within 5km (3.1 miles) of their homes.
Some workers including those in construction can go back to work and the rules on exercise have also been relaxed.
Garden centres and other primarily outdoor retail businesses can also reopen.
However social distancing rules must be observed in all cases.
People are also being advised to use face masks as an additional hygiene measure when using public transport or when in enclosed public areas such as the supermarket.
Speaking at the announcement, Mr Varadkar said: “I can confirm that it is safe to proceed with phase one of our plan to ease the COVID-19 restrictions on Monday. This gives us reason to hope, but it is not a cause for celebration.
“We have a long way to go yet. There will be bumps in the road and we have to keep our guard up.”
From Monday, people are advised to stay at home except for the following five reasons:
To go to work if you cannot work from homeTo shop for essential itemsTo exercise within 5km of homeFor medical reasons or to care for othersTo meet friends or family outside, within 5km of your home, in groups of no more than four
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A sign notifies passers by of the two metre social distancing measures in place
Mr Varadkar discussed the easing of restrictions during a phone call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday afternoon.
The leaders confirmed that anyone travelling to Ireland, except via Northern Ireland, will be quarantined for 14 days, including people from the UK.
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A Downing Street spokesperson said: “They discussed the UK and Ireland’s approaches to tackling coronavirus and agreed on the importance of continued co-operation going forward, given the closeness of our two countries.
“On the UK’s intention to impose quarantine restrictions on international travellers, the prime minister emphasised that there would be exemptions to these measures to respect the Common Travel Area.
Varadkar’s plan to ease Ireland lockdown
“The two leaders also spoke about the latest round of UK-EU negotiations. The prime minister said the UK will continue to work hard to reach an agreement and continues to believe that this is possible.”
The spokesperson added: “The prime minister and taoiseach looked forward to meeting again once the pandemic is over, and to building stronger links between the UK and Ireland.”
Despite minor changes to the lockdown rules, older people and those who are cocooning have been told to stay at home except for brief outdoor exercise within 5km of their home.
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A man walks thought Dublin while lockdown measures are in place
The rate of the virus will be constantly monitored by the National Public Emergency Team and the government as restrictions are carefully lifted.
Ireland is widely seen as having controlled the virus relatively well, with the government saying that 1,506 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
