AS LIMERICK reopens for the Christmas shopping period and festive celebrations, the Department of Public Health Mid-West is urging the public to keep its guard up.
The Mid-West recently saw one of the lowest daily incidences of Covid-19 since the start of the ‘second wave’, with fewer than 40 cases reported between Friday and Saturday.
Level Three restrictions, with some variations, have come into effect since this Tuesday, and will last until January, with special arrangements for Christmas.
Services that will reopen include shops and retail, personal services (such as hairdressers), indoor cultural venues, and places of worship with a maximum capacity of 50 people.
Cafes, restaurants, and pubs operating as restaurants will reopen on this Friday, December 4 with no visitors outside the social bubble, and no travelling outside the county.
Special Christmas arrangements will come into effect on Friday, December 18.
Dr Mai Mannix, Director of the Department of Public Health Mid-West, said that while restrictions have eased, the public can still exercise the same precautionary measures in the coming weeks.
“These include following the core public health guidelines; limiting social contacts, keeping a physical distance of two metres, wearing a mask, frequently washing hands, and adhering to proper cough and sneeze etiquette.
“Though we are seeing a reasonably low incidence rate in the Mid-West at present, our team is still in the process of managing and controlling complex outbreaks and clusters in healthcare facilities, long-term residential care settings, extended families, private households, and among the student population.
“We can prevent such outbreaks if we follow public health guidelines. Our priority is to ensure the people of the Mid-West enjoy a safe and healthy Christmas period after what has been an extremely difficult year. By following the guidelines, we can protect our most vulnerable and lessen the burden on our health service,” Dr Mannix added.
