‘Highly unlikely’ that current Covid-19 measures will be lifted on Sunday

Minister for Health Simon Harris has revealed that it is unlikely that the Government will suddenly reverse the current measures in place to combat the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had initially stated that the current restrictive measures, announced on March 27, would be in place until Easter Sunday at the earliest. And it now appears that those measures, which amount to an effective lockdown, will remain in place beyond this weekend. While The National Public Health Emergency Team has yet to formally announce an extension to the measures, Minister Harris suggested that it is "highly unlikely" that the Government will lift the restrictions, which have helped slow the spread of coronavirus in Ireland. "We’ll get the formal advice later in the week but I believe in being truthful and honest with people in this regard," Minister Harris said on Tuesday morning "I think that any kind of sudden departure from the existing restrictions is highly unlikely, particularly when we know they’re working. "We are not going to do anything as a Government that will in any way jeopardise the lives and wellbeing of Irish people. We have got to stay the course."

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