Retail, cinemas and museums to reopen as Nphet meet to discuss exiting Level 5

Pedestrians in Cork city centre. File picture: Denis Minihane.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will meet this morning to consider whether the country should exit Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions next week.

The meeting is taking place a day earlier than usual, with Cabinet set to consider its recommendations ahead of an announcement tomorrow or Friday.

The Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said a third lockdown may be needed in January because of celebrations over Christmas.

Cinemas, museums, and art galleries are to reopen from December 2 under the Government’s planned exit from level 5 Covid-19 restrictions.

The main elements of the plan, revealed in the Irish Examiner yesterday, are:

• Retail to re-commence and relaxation of the 5km travel limit from December 2;
• The second phase will see hospitality re-open under strict guidelines, but wet pubs will remain closed;
• Closer to Christmas, the third phase will allow household visits as well as allowing travel anywhere in the country. This measure is aimed at allowing people to travel home and see loved ones at Christmas;
• Outdoor sports including tennis and golf will be allowed;
• It is expected that, under level 3, people will be able to travel within their own county from next week, with a further loosening expected closer to Christmas to allow people to see their families.

Professor of Public Health at UCC, Patricia Kearney, has said the Government must work out how a third lockdown can be avoided.

“It’s a blunt instrument, it’s appropriate to use as a way of giving us time to try and put a strategy in place," she said. 

“We’ve used it twice now and I really don’t think that we should be facing it again in the new year.

“And I think I would call on our political leaders really to think differently and see how can we avoid going into a lockdown and what other strategies do we need.”

It comes as six further deaths related to Covid-19 were announced on Tuesday. There were also 226 new cases of the disease in Ireland.