Coronavirus: Varadkar 'confident' about lifting Irish lockdown

Leo Varadkar is "increasingly confident" that the Republic of Ireland will move to the first phase of lifting its lockdown restrictions on Monday.

The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) told the Dáil that the National Public Health Emergency Team will meet on Thursday to assess the situation.

The cabinet will then make a decision about entering Phase One on Friday.

He said he wanted to ensure an open border with NI but it could take months for normal travel elsewhere.

"While these rights may be restricted for a time, it is our policy to resume normal travel as soon as it is safe to do so," said Mr Varadkar.

He said the coronavirus pandemic has "hit our country very hard" and any steps "to reawaken our economy will be done in a slow and gradual way".

On Wednesday, it was announced that 10 more people have died with Covid-19 in the Republic, bringing the total death toll to 1,497. It currently has 23,144 confirmed cases.

"As we reopen our country and rebuild our economy, we have the opportunity to reshape our society in ways that will benefit our society for generations to come," said Mr Varadkar.

"We should seize those opportunities - greater home working, online education, e-health and tele-health, reduced unnecessary domestic and air travel, lower green house emissions and greener air."

In Phase One, up to four people who do not live together can meet outdoors while keeping at least two metres apart.

Shops that are primarily outdoor, such as garden centres and farmers' markets, can reopen provided social distancing guidelines are in place.

Mr Varadkar said that the majority of people complying with lockdown restrictions had slowed down the spread of the virus in the Republic.

"Whilst every death is of concern, in the last seven days we've seen the lowest daily number of deaths and cases since March," he said, adding that four guiding principles will be followed going forward - "isolate, test, trace and treat".

He also said there was a need to be vigilant about workplace clusters as businesses reopen and said the Health and Safety Authority will help businesses to achieve compliance, but will close workplaces if necessary.