No drinking in pubs or getting haircuts 'until mid-summer', Government sources say
News

No drinking in pubs or getting haircuts 'until mid-summer', Government sources say

PINTS and haircuts are well and truly off the cards until mid-summer in Ireland, according to Government sources.

Cabinet is set to meet with the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) on Monday to discuss a potential easing of restrictions on April 5 - the date initially earmarked for lifting full lockdown - with an announcement set for the following day.

But reports indicate that very little will be changing next month, and it now appears we'll have to wait another nine or ten weeks before being able to get our hair trimmed or - more tragically - go for a pint at the pub.

According to the Irish Mirror, a senior Government source has confirmed that haircuts and pints will be "off the table for now, until mid-summer really".

They added: "They are not in the running at all for next Tuesday's announcement."

It's understood that people in Ireland won't be allowed back into salons and barbers until late May, and likely won't be allowed back into pubs or bars until mid-to-late June.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that no decisions have been made yet in relation to what restrictions will or will not be lifted on April 5.

He warned that the country's Covid situation was "very fragile" and that decision on how to move forward couldn't be made in haste.

"The Level 5 restrictions have worked effectively to bring numbers down very, very significantly from where they were," Martin said.

"But the numbers are still high in one way too, and the fundamental reason for that is we're dealing with a variant that is highly transmissible and more dangerous.

"No decision has been made in relation to the post-April 5 situation. We've been engaging with public health advice and research in relation to this."