Farming and food production are exempt from new restrictions which are to come into effect at midnight on Friday, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced. The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Government planning was conscious of the need to maintain food production and immediate farming work. The new restrictions are in place for the next two weeks, until Easter Sunday, he said.
Farming and food production are exempt from new restrictions which are to come into effect at midnight on Friday, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Government planning was conscious of the need to maintain food production and immediate farming work. The new restrictions are in place for the next two weeks, until Easter Sunday, he said.
“Earlier today, the Government received further recommendations on the actions that we need to take to protect our people. These are in addition to all of these listing measures that are already in place.
“So from midnight tonight, for a two-week period until Easter Sunday 12 April, everybody must stay at home in all circumstances,” he said.
The Taoiseach said only in the following situations can people travel:
To and from work, where the work is an essential health, social care or other essential service that cannot be done from home. For farming purposes, that is food production and the care of animals.To shop for food or household goods.To attend medical appointments or collect medicines and other health products.For vital family reasons such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people.To take brief individual physical exercise, within 2km of your own home, which may include children from your own household, as long as you adhere to two-metre physical distancing.Over 70s
An Taoiseach also announced that “cocooning will be introduced for all of those over 70 years of age and unspecified categories of people who are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19”.
At this stage, it is not known how the cocooning restrictions will apply to farmers aged over 70.
All gatherings banned
All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household, our living units, are prohibited, An Taoiseach said.
“The virus might be in your household already. So please don't spread it to somebody else's. Sadly this prohibition includes social family visits that are not for the vital reasons,” he said.
Radius of 2km
“Apart from the activities that I've listed, there should be no travel outside of 2km radius of your home for any reason. These are radical actions aimed at saving as many people's lives as possible in the days and weeks ahead.
“We can influence what's going to happen to us next ... as we enter this most intensive phase of restrictive action, the Government's emergency response will be ramped up. The local emergency response will be led by local authorities who will bring together all the state agencies as well as local community groups, charities and volunteers to ensure that all of our citizens get the help that they need,” he said.
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