Small changes, but there's bigger ones to come next week.
Tuesday, 4 May marks the first day in the next phase of the easing of the public health restrictions
as announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin last week.
All remaining construction can restart from Tuesday while outdoor workers, such as maintenance workers or window cleaners, can also return to work.
The advice from the government continues to be to work from home if possible and to continue to protect yourself and others by following the public health advice.
While the easing of restrictions on 4 May is minimal, from 10 May there will be some major changes on the way with one of the most significant being the return of inter-county travel.
Some of the other changes from 10 May include:
- A maximum of three households or six people from any number of households can meet up recreationally outdoors, including in private gardens.
- Organised outdoor gatherings with a maximum attendance of 15 people.
- Outdoor training for adults in pods of a maximum of 15 people can resume.
- Click and collect, in-store by appointment only, and outdoor retail can recommence from 10 May.
- Personal services by appointment reopen.
- Reopening of galleries, museums, other cultural attractions.
- Libraries to reopen for lending services.
- Recommencement of in-person religious services with funerals and weddings allowed a maximum of 50 people.
There's also the matter of the vaccine bonus, which will allow fully vaccinated people to meet indoors with other fully vaccinated people as long as there are no more than three households present.
Meanwhile, fully vaccinated people can meet indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household, provided that they are not at risk of severe illness and no more than three households are present.
It was also revealed that nursing home residents will be able to see more visitors and go on organised outings as restrictions are eased.
