The Government has released the confirmed list of Essential Services, these are the workplaces who are permitted to operate during this period of enhanced restrictions. (LIST OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES link)

For your convenience, we attach a template ‘Go To Work letter’ that those in Essential Services should personalise and issue to team members who cannot work from home. Workers are also advised to carry photo identification with them when commuting to and from their workplaces. This letter should be issued prior to the end of the period of grace (6pm Monday 30th March).

GO TO WORK LETTER TEMPLATE: essentail employee letter

All non-essential businesses must engage in an orderly wind-down of business by 6pm on Monday 30th of March.

Essential Retail
Further Updates 15th April 2020

The public health advice is clear and consistent. The public should stay at home wherever possible but can access essential services, including to go to an essential retail outlet to get supplies for the essential upkeep and functioning of their homes.  The overriding public health  objective for essential  retail outlets  remains to keep footfall to the absolute minimum and  to make use of home working as much as possible.   Retail outlets that open  should ensure that physical distancing and public health guidelines are  rigorously implemented. The Government Guidelines of 27 March  provide guidance on keeping footfall to a minimum and on  physical distancing measures as follows:

– ensure adequate distancing between customers and shop assistants in line with public health guidelines;

– only let people into the store in small groups and ensure spaces are not crowded;

– manage queue control inside and outside the door to maintain necessary physical distance; and,

– all Essential Retail Outlets are encouraged to provide online services where that is possible and appropriate to minimise footfall.

The NSAI has also published a guidance document for the retail sector that will be informative to members – the NSAI also operate a helpline to advise employers and operators on essential measures to implement workplace protection and improvement plans, see: https://www.nsai.ie/covid-19retailprotection/