TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar announced a raft of measures yesterday (Friday), effectively speeding up the reopening of the country which will now be complete in four and not five phases.

From Monday, June 8th, people can travel anywhere within their own county or 20km from their house but significantly, all travel restrictions within the country will be lifted by June 29th.

Summer Camps – an important element for the sport horse industry – can take place outdoors for up to 15 people at a time. Elite athletes can go back training.

Retail shops can reopen with staggered hours although retail shopping centres will not be open until Monday, June 15th.

Playgrounds can reopen from Monday, while groups of six people can meet indoors and up to 15 outdoors. Funerals can be attended by up to 25 people.

Asking people to “stay local”, the Taoiseach starkly warned that people over the age of 70 or those with an underlying health condition are “150 times more likely to die of Covid than young people”.

Health Minister Simon Harris warned that over 60% of Covid cases came through close contacts and urged people to exercise common sense in their interactions.

Announcing the reopening of retail shops, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphries TD said: “It is not fair to make shopping centres wait while their competitors can open again on Monday. However, there are legitimate public health concerns about people congregating in confined spaces. So special adaptions should be made to shopping centres will be made. A trip to the shopping centre will not be a day out or a place to hang out with your friends.

“For this reason, the reopening date for shopping centres will be Monday, June 15th.”

Tourism and hospitality will return by June 29th, while hairdressers and barbers will not reopen until July 20th.

The ban on mass gatherings remains in place.