The Taoiseach insists the country remains ‘on track’ for the widespread easing of restrictions in the coming weeks.
Nationwide travel will be allowed from next Monday, while all retail outlets can fully reopen seven days later.
Micheál Martin also told his parliamentary party last night he wants to restore international travel as soon as it’s safe to do so.
418 new cases of Covid-19 were reported yesterday and seven deaths.
32 new cases were reported in Donegal in the latest figures. There were no new cases in Sligo and fewer than 5 in Leitrim.
Of the deaths notified today, 5 occurred in April, 1 in February and 1 in January. The median age of those who died was 82 years and the age range was 67-92 years.
There has been a total of 4,915 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
As of Monday May 3rd, 1,621,870 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland:
- 1,174,292 people have received their first dose
- 447,578 people have received their second dose
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, said: “As we look forward to the greater reopening of activities and services, our key objective now is to maintain our course in coming weeks and follow the public health advice in our daily activities.
“When you are planning to meet someone, remember that outdoors is safer for everybody. And when you meet up, stay at a 2m distance, keep to a small group and avoid crowded areas – this will minimise the risk of passing the virus from person to person, driving down the incidence rate and keeping our society open.
“Throughout this pandemic we have seen outbreaks and clusters of disease as a result of social events such as funerals, wakes and birthday parties. Unfortunately we need to continue to stay vigilant to the infectious nature of this disease and avoid congregating together in large groups. We need all sectors of society to continue to encourage and support the public health messages and to help everyone to stay safe.”
Dr David Nabarro, from the World Health Organisation, is warning of a spike in cases as restrictions ease here:
