IT WILL be at least the end of April or May before non-essential retail and hairdressers will be allowed to reopen.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has indicated that the easing of Level 5 restrictions from April 5 will be ‘limited’.
The 5km limit is expected to be lifted while small outdoor gatherings will be permitted and construction reopened.
“Reopening of shops, personal services, hospitality, that wouldn’t be happening on April 5th,” Varadkar told Newstalk.
“You’d be talking realistically, at the earliest, end of April or early May.”
The Tánaiste said that shops and hairdressers would most likely be given the go-ahead to reopen before the hospitality sector.
“We don’t want to move too fast and then end up falling backwards,” he said.
“It’s going to be a step-by-step slow reopening.
“Once you start down that road there’s six other suggestions. It does create a whole thing called anticipatory behaviour, and it sends out the message that things are fine now, and it’s human nature to do a little bit more than is actually allowed.”
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