This morning has seen Ireland wake up to a new two week reality of almost total lockdown as the country bids to stop the spread of Covid-19.
On Friday night Tasoiseach Leo Varadker announced a rash of new restrictions that will be in effect until at least Easter Sunday, April 12.
The Taoiseach said that people must stay in their homes in almost all circumstances - with all non-essential retail outlets ordered to close to members of the publlic. Farming will be allowed to continue as normal.
The only execptions to the stay at home rule laid out by the Taoiseach is for people to travel to health, social care or other essential work (a list of essential work will be published by the Government today ), to shop for food or takeaway meals or for medical appointments.
It is also allowed for people to leave their home to take brief, individual physical exercicse within a 2km radius of their homes and shielding, or cocooning, will be introduced for all those over 70 years of age and specified categories of people who are extremely vulnerable to Covid-19.
The National Public Health Emergency Team has recommended that all non-essential retail outlets will close to members of the public and all other retail outlets are to implement physical distancing.
Essential retail outlets
1. Retail and wholesale sale of food, beverages and newspapers in non-specialised and specialised stores
2. Retail sale of household consumer products necessary to maintain the safety and sanitation of residences and businesses
3. Pharmacies/Chemists and retailers providing pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical or dispensing services
4. Retail sale of selling medical and orthopaedic goods in specialised stores
5. Fuel stations and heating fuel providers
6. Retail sale of essential items for the health and welfare of animals, including animal feed and medicines, animal food, pet food and animal supplies including bedding
7. Laundries and Drycleaners
8. Banks, Post Offices and Credit Unions
9. Retail sale of safety supply stores (work clothes, Personal Protective Equipment, for example )
Businesses that can only offer emergency call-out or delivery services
It is recognised that there may be emergency needs arising in a number of areas, the following retailers who can offer an emergency call-out or delivery service can continue to operate on that basis ONLY:
1. Opticians/optometrists
2. Retailers involved in the repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and bicycle repair and related facilities (tyre sales and repairs for example )
3. Hardware stores, builder’s merchants and stores that provide hardware products necessary for home and business maintenance, sanitation and farm equipment, supplies and tools essential for gardening/farming/agriculture
4. Retail sale of office products and services for individuals working from home and for businesses
5. Retailers providing electrical, IT and phone sales, repair and maintenance services for home.
Taoiseach outlines reasons for decison
In his address to the nation on Friday night An Taoiseah Leo Varadker outlined the decision the govrenment had come to on foot of the latest advice from the Public Health Emergency Team saying:
"At the beginning of this emergency, I told you that there would be difficult days ahead.
"We knew that the virus would spread in our country, that tragically, many of our citizens would suffer and that some would die.
"I also promised that we would do all that we could do to protect the health of our citizens, to prepare our health service, to support our healthcare staff and to try to cushion the blow to the economy, our businesses and your livelihoods.
"Today, with cross-party support, the Oireachtas has passed further emergency legislation.
"This will help businesses to keep their staff in work, it will increase social welfare payments for people who lose their jobs, as a consequence of the emergency, including the self-employed.
"Payments under these new schemes have already commenced. Rents are frozen. There will be no evictions.
"When I spoke to you on St. Patrick’s Day I said that more actions would be required in the coming weeks to slow the spread of the virus.
"Over this month we have seen the numbers of people falling ill increase every day. We have seen loved ones die.
"Guided by the expert advice of our Public Health Emergency Team, led by the Chief Medical Officer, we believe that this is now the time for these actions.
"I also told you that there would be a calm before the storm.
"The aim of every single action that we have taken is to reduce the impact of the storm on our country. To slow down this virus, to push it back and contain it.
"Throughout all of this, the Government has acted on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and the National Public Health Emergency Team - an expert team of public health doctors, virologists and scientists.
"Today, they informed the Government that: The number of confirmed cases in Ireland exceed 2,100. Sadly, the number of deaths is 22.
"There is a day on day increase in the number of admissions to intensive care units, and the number has doubled since Monday.
"Transmission in the community accounts for more than half of all cases.
"There continues to be an increasing number of clusters, many of which are in nursing home and residential care settings.
"The Government has received further recommendations on the actions that we need to take to protect our people. These are in addition to all of the existing measures that are already in place.
"So, with effect from midnight tonight, for a two-week period until Easter Sunday, April 12th.
"Everybody must stay at home in all circumstances, except for the following situations: To travel to and from work, or for purposes of work, only where the work is an essential health, social care or other essential service and cannot be done from home. A list will be provided.
"To shop for food and household goods or collect a meal. To attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products.
"For vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people. To take brief individual physical exercise within 2km of your home, which may include children from your household, as long as you adhere to strict 2m physical distancing.
"For farming purposes, ie food production or care of animals. All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household or living unit are prohibited.
"The virus might be in your household already – so don’t spread it to someone else’s.
"Sadly, this prohibition includes social family visits that are not for the vital reasons I have already mentioned. A further range of non-essential shops and services will be closed.
"The guidance given earlier in the week, in respect of essential retail outlets will be revised, to reflect this.
"Adult community education centres and local community centres will be shut. All non-essential surgery, health procedures and other non-essential health services will be postponed.
"All visits to hospitals, residential healthcare centres, other residential settings and prisons are to cease, with specific exceptions on compassionate grounds.
"Shielding, or cocooning, will be introduced for all those over 70 years of age and specified categories of people who are extremely vulnerable to Covid-19. Detailed guidance will be available.
"Travel to our offshore islands will be limited to residents of those islands.
"Pharmacists will be permitted to dispense medicines outside the current period of validity of the existing prescription in line with the pharmacist’s clinical judgement.
"All public transport and passenger travel will be restricted only to essential workers and people providing essential services.
"Apart from the activities I have listed, there should be no travel outside 2km radius from your home for any other reason.
"These are radical actions aimed at saving as many lives as possible in the days and weeks ahead. We are not prisoners of fate – we can influence what is going to happen. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
"As we enter this most intensive phase of restrictive actions, the Government’s emergency response will be ramped up.
"Local emergency response will be led by Local authorities who will bring together all the state agencies, as well as local community groups, charities and volunteers, to ensure that all of our citizens get the help they need at this exceptional time.
"Freedom was hard won in our country, and it jars with us, to restrict and limit individual liberties, even temporarily. But freedom is not an abstract concept.
"We give it meaning every single day – in the way we live our lives – and in the decisions we take willingly to protect our loved ones.
"So I am asking people to give meaning to our freedom and liberty by agreeing to these restrictions. Restricting how we live our lives so that so that others may live.
"I am asking us for a time, to forego our personal liberties and freedoms for a greater cause. Tonight I am appealing to every man, woman and child in our country to make these sacrifices – not out of self-interest but for each other.
"To begin each day knowing that every single imposition, every inconvenience, every irritation will save lives and help our health service cope.
"The whole world is suffering during this pandemic, and Ireland is no different.
"What happens now is up to each one of us.
"Show your support to our healthcare staff.
"Show your support for everyone who is working in essential services or looking after our vulnerable citizens.
"Show that you care for your families and friends.
"Stay at home."
An Garda Síochána Begins Major Policing Operation in support of public compliance of public health measures
An Garda Síochána on Friday evening started a major nationwide policing operation focused on supporting public compliance with public health measures over this weekend.
Following recent announcements by An Taoiseach of the necessity for people to undertake a range of public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19, there will be high visibility patrolling by Garda members across the country during the weekend.
The focus of this activity will be on encouraging people to adhere to public health measures as announced by An Taoiseach.
The policing operation runs until 7am on Monday morning (March 30 ) and will involve thousands of Gardaí on foot, bike and mobile patrols.
While An Garda Síochána will seek to encourage people to maintain the necessary public health measures, it will intervene where venues/ outlets are not in compliance or where groups of people are not adhering to recommended measures.
An Garda Síochána acknowledges that the vast majority of the public are being responsible and making great efforts to implementing public health measures including social distancing guidelines, this includes staying active as a family unit and availing of fresh air and exercise.
However, the presence of large crowds in any one area reduces the effective impact of social distancing.
An Garda Síochána asks people and families to continue to be responsible, not to attend popular locations for overly long periods and where the numbers of persons starts to increase at any location to leave such areas.
Announcing An Garda Síochána’s operation for this weekend Commissioner Drew Harris said, "An Garda Síochána’s priority is keeping people safe and that will continue this weekend. There will be a major policing plan across the country with high visibility of Garda members at key locations.
"It is vital that people adhere to the social distancing guidelines. This will reduce the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. The vast majority of people are complying with the guidelines and we want that to continue this weekend. By all of us working together, we can flatten the curve and keep our loved ones safe."
Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security, John Twomey said, "These high visibility patrols are to provide re-assurance and social distancing advice to the public.
"Garda members will pro-actively engage positively with people. An Garda Síochána will police as it has always done with the consent of the people. It is in everybody’s interest that people comply with these measures."
