Ireland extends Covid-19 lockdown to 18 May before phased exit

Ireland has extended its lockdown for another two weeks to 18 May, when it will introduce a phased, five-stage exit over three months.

The country’s lockdown regime has been much stricter than the UK’s, but Friday night’s announcement offers a clear, step-by-step map out of the lockdown for schools, shops, businesses as well as the global Irish diaspora including more than 300,000 in the UK, many of whom would normally make visits home in the summer.

The taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said while the rise in the death rate from coronavirus had flattened it was still too dangerous to ease the lockdown.

While thousands of lives had been saved, “we have not yet won this fight”, he said, adding that two more weeks of tight restrictions to weaken the virus further were necessary to ensure it “doesn’t have the strength to make a comeback”.

The plan will also be of major interest to Irish people living abroad, with the non-essential travel restriction over 20km not lifted until 20 July. However, sources say that Irish citizens have been free to travel to Ireland through the lockdown but have had to self-isolate for 14 days.

Last night’s televised address will have been watched closely by the British government, which is under pressure to release its own clear roadmap for an exit to lockdown.

From May the five phases of lockdown easing in Ireland are:

Phase 1 (18 May)

Outdoor meetings of up to four people from different households will be allowed and childcare for healthcare workers will be opened

Outdoor work, such as construction and gardening, to resume

Stationary, IT, and opticians can also reopen

Retail outlets such as garden centres, hardware stores and repair shops can reopen

Current rules restricting funerals up to 10 people still apply

Schools and college buildings will reopen to teachers only

Phase 2 (8 June)

Household visits allowed

Small retail outlets with social distance measures can open

Libraries can open again

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Phase 3 (29 June)

Sporting events can resume behind closed doors

Cafes and restaurants can reopen with social distancing measures and strict cleaning protocols

Playgrounds can reopen

Small social gatherings will be permitted

Those with low levels of interaction in their jobs can return to work

Non-essential retail such as clothes shops with street level entrance can reopen

Phase 4 (20 July)

Movements will no longer be restricted

Larger numbers can visit another household for a limited period of time

Those who cannot work at home can return to work

Museums, galleries and churches can reopen

Phase 5 (10 August)

Larger social gatherings allowed

On a phased basis, schools and universities can start to reopen

Varadkar said the last few weeks had transformed people’s lives “in so many different ways and ways that we could not have imagined”. “I know it has been difficult – sometimes dispiriting,” he said.