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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has this evening (Thursday) said that the lifting of current restrictions will be “slow and gradual" and will be "done in a stepwise, tiered manner”.

Speaking in the Dáil, he said that people want to know when things are going to go back to a new normal.

“I know the lockdown is difficult and people are feeling frustrated, cooped up, even trapped, but we must keep doing what we are doing because it is working. We owe it to those who are fighting the virus every day and we owe it to the memory of those who have been lost. As a country, we owe it to each other.

“I can inform the Dáil that a plan is being developed to ease the lockdown, a roadmap to reopen Ireland, a roadmap to what will be a new normal. Unfortunately for those who would like an immediate return to a pre-COVID-19 world, the easement of the current restrictions will be slow and gradual and will be done in a stepwise, tiered manner. It will require continuous effort to suppress and control the virus. Therefore, the lifting of restrictions will not necessarily mirror the manner in which they were escalated.”

Public health and safety and the healthcare capacity will continue to be the foundation for decision making, he explained.

“Our five criteria are as follows: the progress of the disease, healthcare capacity and resilience, testing and contact tracing capacity, the ability to shield and care for at-risk groups and the risk of secondary morbidity and mortality due to the restrictions themselves.

As we manage the gradual lifting of restrictions, we will prioritise public health advice and give careful consideration on how best to mitigate and manage the economic and other health and social impacts.”

Any changes to the restrictions will be made every two to four weeks because the Government needs to leave a period between changes to assess accurately their impact.

“We will intervene earlier if things appear to be going off track. Restrictions may have to be reintroduced if it looks as if the virus is going to surge back. We expect to have this plan completed tomorrow (Friday) for approval by Cabinet.”