Covid restrictions to last into May with 'slow and cautious' reopening to follow
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The Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 met last night to discuss the reopening of schools and the Government’s new Living with Covid plan, due to be announced on Tuesday.
Sources have warned that the plan is “a long one” and the easing of restrictions will be slow, with schools and construction to be prioritised.
It comes after HSE chief executive Paul Reid warned the pace of exiting this wave of the virus is going to be “a lot slower than the scale and pace that we entered it” because the virus is still transmitting at a “very risky level” across the community.
The Government agreed at last night’s sub-committee meeting that the easing of restrictions would be “gradual and cautious”.
Sources say Dr Ronan Glynn, the deputy chief medical officer, was supportive of the return to the classroom. However, it would be happening over a number of weeks and there was an understanding that the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) wants to see “continued progress on the virus”.
Dr Glynn warned the Cabinet members that Covid-19 numbers are still very high after the spike in cases and deaths in January.
“The variants do seem to have changed things dramatically, so everything now has to be very slow and very cautious,” one source said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said yesterday there will be a “very slow and cautious” reopening of the country in the coming months.
“In May and June, I think we will be in a different space,” he said, adding that if over-70s are vaccinated by mid-May, it will allow for more movement.
"It is very difficult at the moment. This third wave, and the lockdown associated with it, is having a very significant psychological impact on people.
“We have to give people hope and with the vaccination, hope does come, and I think we will be in a different space in June and July certainly.”
The understands that the new Living with Covid plan will not be a roadmap similar to the one released by the Government last year with targets for reopening society.
There will be a detailed look at continuing economic supports, but this plan will not be timestamped or led by certain dates for easing of restrictions. Instead, it will look in detail at the vaccine rollout and the effect that could have on society.
“I don’t think there’ll be the great detail people want, saying in March we’ll be here or by May we’ll have this open. It won’t be like that,” one Government source said.
“There will be guidance as to the vaccination programme and maybe some numbers and milestones on that side of it, but a lot of it will be about the supports needed, social and health supports, for example, given how long it’s going to go on.”
Last night’s Cabinet sub-committee meeting included Mr Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, Education Minister Norma Foley, and Nphet officials including Dr Glynn.