Following the announcement from An Taoiseach here is the

Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business here – Friday May 1st

The changes to the public health guidelines that will come into place next Tuesday 5 May are:

• people will be able to go up to 5 kilometres from their home to exercise
• those who are cocooning can leave their homes for exercise as long as they avoid all contact with other people

The roadmap sets out Ireland’s plan for lifting COVID-19 restrictions in 5 phases;

• 18 May (phase 1)
• 8 June (phase 2)
• 29 June (phase 3)
• 20 July (phase 4)
• 10 August (phase 5)

Businesses which may return on May 18th:

i) Outdoor workers in construction

ii) Garden centres

iii) Hardware stores

iv) Opticians & electrical outlets

v) Bicycle & phone repairs

Businesses which may return on June 8th:

i) Small retail outlets (with small staff numbers)

ii) Phased return workers who can maintain a distance from others of 2 metres at all times.

iii) Open marts.

Businesses which may return on June 29^th 

i) Government will consider travel restrictions on numbers travelling to and in major urban centres

ii) Cafes and restaurants that can adhere to social distancing guidelines

iii) Creches for the children of essential workers.

iv) Remote working will continue to be promoted but organisations where employees have a low level of daily interaction may return

v) Phased reopening of non-essential retail, with street level entrance and exit based on staff and customer numbers.

vi) Retail units in shopping centres will not re-open

vii) Public transport will remain restricted

Businesses which may return on July 20th

i) Creches for all other workers for one day a week initially.

ii) Hairdressers and barbers

iii) Museums, galleries & religious places of worship.

iv) Hotels and hostels with limited occupancy. Hotel bars will remain closed.

v) Restrictions on the numbers allowed to travel into urban centres will be decreased on public transport.

vi) Remote working will continue to be encouraged but businesses may introduce staggered working

The last phase begins on August 10^th 

i) Pubs, bars, nightclubs & casinos where social distancing & cleaning complied with

ii) Shopping centres

iii) Theatres & cinemas that can maintain social distancing

iv) Gyms with regular and effective cleaning.

v) Festivals and other cultural gatherings may be held with restricted numbers.

vi) Large gatherings will remain restricted as will large weddings

vii) Phased return to normal work.

viii) Sports spectatorship which involves mass gatherings will be permitted with both indoor and outdoor number restrictions.

ix) Indoor recreational venues like roller skating, bowling alleys and bingo halls with restricted numbers.

Published: 1 May 2020
From: Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Health