“Nobody wants Dublin to move to Level 3”.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said that people in living in Dublin should avoid meeting up “with people you don’t need to meet up with” following the introduction of a new five-level government response to combat the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.
The government announced details of the new plan on Tuesday morning and while Dublin is officially at the same level (Level 2) as every other county in the country, Taoiseach Micheál Martin outlined that “some modifications” would apply to Dublin following a recent spike in cases in the capital.
Included in those modifications is guidelines on so-called ‘wet pubs’ – which will not be permitted to open in Dublin (as they will in every other county) from next week – and on social gatherings, both indoor and outdoor, which the government has advised should be restricted to people from one household only in Dublin.
Level2⃣Explained:
🏠 Visits to homes up to 6 visitors from 2-3 other households (1 household in Dublin)
🍺 Outside of homes, up to 6 people can meet indoors, 15 outdoors from 1 (Dublin) or 2-3 other households.
💒 Up to 50 people can attend a wedding.
— JOE.ie (@JOEdotie) September 15, 2020
Attempting to clarify the matter at the press conference in Dublin Castle, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said: “What Level 2 says is that we can have up to six visitors to our home or garden from up to three other households, right? That’s Level 2.
“And on that, NPHET is saying, for Dublin, because it is moving rapidly in a bad direction, just keep it to one. Rather than having six people from three households, just keep it to one.
“There’s no requirement on travel restrictions in Level 2, nor are there any travel restrictions being put in place for Dublin, but NPHET are saying within the current trajectory, Dublin is at Level 2, but be careful. So if there are meetings you’re going to have, you’re going to meet up with people you don’t need to meet up with, don’t do that right now.
“The one exception is the ‘wet pubs’ and that really is less about creating a level two and a half and more about recognising that we are currently transitioning from one model to another and that NPHET’s advice, given where Dublin is and given that nobody wants Dublin to move to Level 3, the advice is, just for the moment, just keep that as one…”
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly says that in Level 2 people can have up to six visitors to their home or garden from up to three households, but in Dublin it should be limited to up to six visitors from one household | Follow live updates: https://t.co/BnPgAzVvVh pic.twitter.com/yd4Bid2oEe
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 15, 2020
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