Update on new Covid-19 Measures

Ireland is moving to Level 5 of Covid-19 restrictions with adjustments between 24 December and 12 January. I have posted a list of these restrictions below under different areas and the dates in which restrictions apply.

SOCIAL AND FAMILY GATHERINGS

🔵 If you live alone – you can form a support bubble with another household.

🔵 Current restrictions (visits from up to 2 other households) remain in place up to and including 26 December.

🔵 Visits to private homes/gardens will be allowed from one other household up to and including 31 December.

🔵 From 1 January no visitors are allowed in private homes/gardens except for essential family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, or as part of a support bubble.

WEDDINGS

🔵 Up to and including 2 January, 25 guests can attend a wedding ceremony and reception, whether indoors or outdoors.

🔵 From 3 January, up to 6 guests are permitted.

ORGANISED INDOOR GATHERINGS

🔵 No organised indoor gatherings should take place.

ORGANISED OUTDOOR GATHERINGS

🔵 No organised outdoor gatherings should take place.

EXERCISE AND SPORTING EVENTS

🔵 Outdoor golf and tennis are permitted.
Training and matches

🔵 No training or matches should take place, with the following exceptions:

• Non-contact training in pods of up to 15 may take place outdoors
• Professional, elite sports, horse-racing and greyhound racing are permitted to continue behind closed doors

🔵 All other training activities should be individual only.

🔵 No exercise or dance classes are permitted.

🔵 Gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools may remain open for individual training only.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

🔵 Christmas religious services may take place.

🔵 Religious services will move online after 25 December.

🔵 Places of worship may remain open for private prayer.

FUNERALS

🔵 Up to 10 mourners can attend.

MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND OTHER CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS.

🔵 All venues closed.

🔵 Libraries will be available for online services only.

BARS, CAFES AND RESTAURANTS (INCLUDING HOTEL RESTAURANTS AND BARS)

🔵 Restaurants and pubs operating as restaurants will close for onsite dining at 3pm on 24 December. After this, they can only offer delivery and take-away.
Hotels may provide food and bar services to guests only after that point.

WET PUBS, NIGHTCLUBS, DISCOS, CASINOS
🔵 Closed.

HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATION

🔵 Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs may remain open, but only for essential non-social and non-tourist purposes.

🔵 Hotels may provide food and bar services to guests only after 3pm on 24 December.
Exception:
Guests who already have a booking and are due to check in up to and including 26 December.

RETAIL AND SERVICES (FOR EXAMPLE: HAIRDRESSERS, BEAUTICIANS, BARBERS)

🔵All retail and essential services will remain open. This includes food shopping and marts.

🔵 The retail sector is asked to defer January sales events.

🔵 All other personal services, such as hairdressers, beauticians and barbers, are closed.

WORK

🔵 You should work from home unless essential for work, which is an essential health, social care or other essential service and cannot be done from home.

DOMESTIC TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

🔵 Stay at home.

🔵 Travel outside your county will continue to be permitted up to and including 26 December. Those away from their place of residence after that period will be permitted to return to their place of residence.

🔵From 27 December you must stay within your county unless you need to leave for essential purposes, as follows:

• travel to and from work, where work involves providing an essential service
• to attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products
• travel to attend disability day services
• travel to attend a court
• for vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, and in particular for those who live alone but excluding social family visits
• for farming purposes (food production or care of animals)
• to attend a wedding or funeral
• to visit a grave

SCHOOLS AND CRÈCHES

🔵 Schools, early learning and childcare services will continue to remain open.

HIGHER AND ADULT EDUCATION

🔵 Primarily online with exemptions for essential onsite activities.

OUTDOOR PLAYGROUNDS, PLAY AREAS AND PARKS

🔵 Open with protective measures in place.

TRANSPORT

🔵 Walk or cycle where possible.

🔵 Public transport will operate at 25%.

🔵 School transport is unaffected.

SOCIAL WORK AND CARE SERVICES

🔵 Social work and social care services, (including disability services, mental health services, child protection and welfare services, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services) and homeless services including homeless outreach services will remain open.

OVER 70 AND MEDICALLY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS

🔵 Those aged over 70 and the medically vulnerable are advised to continue to exercise personal judgement. It is recommended that they stay at home as much as possible, limit engagement to a very small network for short periods of time, while remaining physically distanced.

VISITING LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES (NURSING AND CARE HOME)

🔵 Suspended, with the exception of visits required for critical and compassionate circumstances.