Ireland to reopen all shops in May, hospitality in early June | Inquirer News

Ireland to reopen all shops in May, hospitality in early June

/ 05:27 PM April 29, 2021

Empty city centre shopping street is seen, amid the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dublin, Ireland, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo

DUBLIN — Ireland will press ahead with plans to reopen all retail stores, personal services and non-residential construction in May with hotels, restaurants and bars to follow sooner than expected in early June, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Thursday.

The government committed a month ago to reopening all shops for the first time this year in May and hotels in June if it could avoid a fourth wave of COVID-19 disease and speed up its vaccine program – criteria that it has met.

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Coveney said the plan to be signed off by ministers later on Thursday would permit hotels to open their doors again on June 2 with restaurants and pubs – not mentioned a month ago – allowed to serve guests outdoors from June 7.

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People will also be able to travel anywhere in the country for the first time since late December next month, he added.

“We will I hope be able to manage all of that change in a way that keeps a lid on the spread of this virus but at the same time provides for a much more hopeful and positive summer than perhaps many people were expecting even in the last few weeks,” Coveney told national broadcaster RTE.

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Ireland has one of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in Europe but is opting for a slower reopening of its economy than most of its European peers after a relaxation of measures in December triggered a huge spike in cases.

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It has also put in place the EU’s toughest restrictions on international travel, including forcing arrivals from countries including the United States, Canada, Belgium, France and Italy to quarantine in a hotel for up to 14 days.

Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday that a plan for a phased return to international travel this summer should be agreed by the end of May.

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TAGS: Business, COVID-19, Economy, Ireland

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