Varadkar spoke to the Dáil on Thursday about the plans to lift lockdown restrictions.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that he plans to have the roadmap for lifting restrictions on the public to combat the spread of Covid-19 ready for approval by Cabinet on Friday.
Speaking to the Dáil on Thursday, Varadkar said that the plan consists of a number of phases, with two to four weeks between each phase.
He said: “People want to know when things are going to go back to the new normal, and I can assure them that a plan is being developed to ease the lockdown, a roadmap to reopen Ireland, a roadmap to what will be a new normal.
“Unfortunately for those who’d like immediate return to pre-Covid world, the lifting of the current restrictions will be slow and gradual and will be done in a stepwise tiered manner.”
Varadkar then outlined the five criteria that will determine the speed of how the safety measures will be lifted:
- The progress of the disease
- Healthcare capacity and resilience
- Testing and contract tracing capacity
- The ability to shield and care for at risk groups
- The risk of secondary morbidity and mortality, due to the restrictions themselves
Varadkar said: “As we manage the gradual lifting of restrictions, we’ll prioritise public health advice, and give careful consideration on how best to mitigate and manage the economic and other health and social impacts.”
"The easing of the current restrictions will be slow and gradual…"
An update from Leo Varadkar on Ireland's plan to lift the lockdown. pic.twitter.com/fXehj7bPGP
— JOE.ie (@JOEdotie) April 30, 2020
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