THE LOCALISED lockdown in Co. Kildare has finally been lifted after weeks of restrictions.
In a statement on Monday evening, the government announced they would be removing the restrictions, which had been in place since August 7, with immediate effect.
The Cabinet agreed to lift the extra restrictions in place in Kildare following a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
The rolling five-day average in Kildare is 10.8 cases as of 29th August, the government said.
This compares to a five-day average of 22.2 cases in Kildare on 6 August.
75 cases were notified in Kildare in the week to 29 August compared to 238 cases notified in the week to 8 August, 170 cases in the week to 15 August, and 159 cases in the week to 22 August.
"As the epidemiological situation both nationally and in Kildare are broadly similar, there is no longer a rationale for a differentiated approach between Kildare and the rest of the country," the statement said.
In a tweet, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that lifting restrictions was "only possible because of the people of Kildare - their extra effort, their sacrifices and their patience."
Today’s decision to lift the additional Covid restrictions on County Kildare was only possible because of the people of Kildare - their extra effort, their sacrifices and their patience. And it worked. Numbers in Kildare now similar to rest of country. We must all stay vigilant.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 31, 2020
"And it worked. Numbers in Kildare now similar to rest country. We must all stay vigilant," he wrote.
Kildare was shut down along with Laois and Offaly due to the counties high levels of Covid-19 cases, though the latter two counties had their lockdowns lifted after just two weeks.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly took to Twitter on Monday to say: "Today is a huge milestone. Evidence from Kildare, Laois and Offaly proves that localised measures do work. This knowledge will be a key part of our plans as we aim to reduce the spread of Covid-19 while re-opening our society and economy.
