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Ireland has taken its first steps out of coronavirus lockdown.<\/p>\nIreland has taken its first steps out of coronavirus lockdown.<\/p>\n
Phase one of the country\u2019s five phase exit plan was triggered on Monday.<\/p>\n
Some retail outlets are reopening, outdoor work is resuming and sports like golf and tennis can be played again.<\/p>\n
People will be able to meet in groups of four in outdoor locations as long as social distancing is observed.<\/p>\n
As the first major restrictions lift, people have been urged to wear face coverings when using busy public transport or in enclosed indoor areas such as shops.<\/p>\n
The coronavirus death toll in Ireland rose to 1,543 on Sunday after 10 deaths were announced.<\/p>\n
There were 64 new cases of the disease confirmed on Sunday \u2013 the lowest daily tally since mid-March.<\/p>\n
The total of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ireland now stands at 24,112.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the easing of lockdown, Health Minister Simon Harris stressed that Ireland was at a \u201ccrucial moment\u201d in the fight against coronavirus, warning that the country remained in the \u201cdanger zone\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr Harris said Ireland would end up in a \u201cbad place\u201d if people did not proceed with caution and tried to move ahead of what was allowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have all come too far and sacrificed too much to screw it up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Harris\u2019s plea for caution came as HSE figures showed the virus\u2019s prevalence continued on a downward trajectory.<\/p>\n
There were 54 Covid-19 patients in ICU on Sunday, down by 67% from the peak in mid-April when around 160 people were receiving intensive care treatment.<\/p>\n
The overall coronavirus hospital admission rate is down 66% from the peak.<\/p>\n
Around 4,000 tests are currently being completed each day in Ireland. Of those, around 98% are testing negative. The 2% positivity rate is down from 25% in mid-April.<\/p>\n
New test and tracing targets are now in operation as the lockdown starts to ease.<\/p>\n
Ireland now has the capacity to test 100,000 people per week.<\/p>\n
One new target is a three-day timeframe from the point of test referral to the completion of contact tracing, in 90% of positive cases.<\/p>\n
The other is a two-day turnaround from the point of the test swab being taken to the notification of the result.<\/p>\n
That means all people tested who return a negative result \u2013 currently 98% \u2013 will be informed of that outcome within 48 hours.<\/p>\n
Automation of the notification process is being introduced to speed up the timelines.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, HSE chief executive Paul Reid outlined plans to gradually reintroduce healthcare services that had been halted or scaled back due to the coronavirus emergency.<\/p>\n
But he said that would not be straightforward and would come with risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople do want a level of predictability but we now have to deliver non-Covid services in a very unpredictable world, in a very unpredictable environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people all across the health service are used to balancing risks every day as we have provided health services for many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this disease brings a very new risk, a very live risk, we have to deal with this risk every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those able return to work on Monday include construction workers, gardeners and people tending to allotments.<\/p>\n
Garden centers, hardware stores, farmers\u2019 markets, opticians and mechanics are also reopening.<\/p>\n