Phase Two will likely go ahead on Monday.

While the Government has yet to confirm the next part of the roadmap to reopen Ireland will proceed on June 8th, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said there are no issues in the data collected by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) so far that may hinder the rollout of the second phase.

The NPHET will meet today to discuss the finer points of Phase Two. Key issues set to be covered at the meeting include the easing of restrictions for children and the potential for arranging summer camps in the coming weeks. As it stands, playgrounds are due to reopen as part of Phase Three of the plan, which begins on June 29th.

Nursing home visits and the transmission of Covid-19 among frontline workers will also feature on the agenda.

Phase 2: What will change?

As of Monday, the advice will be to still avoid unnecessary journeys wherever possible but you will be able to travel up to 20 kilometres away from your home as opposed to the 5-kilometre limit which has been in place since May 5th.

Up to four people may visit another household for a short period of time but everyone must keep at least two metres apart from people they don’t live with.

Those who are cocooning can also have a small number of visitors to their home, provided the visitors wear gloves, face coverings and keep at least two metres away from the person who is cocooning.

A slightly larger number of people will be permitted to attend funerals but numbers will still be restricted to immediate family and close friends and limited to a maximum number of mourners (this number will be announced closer to June 8th), where social distancing can be maintained.

Workers who work on their own or those who can keep a two-metre distance from others can return to work, although remote working is still recommended for all workers or businesses that can currently do so.

Small retail outlets and libraries can also reopen with a small number of staff “on the basis that the retailer can control the number of individuals that staff and customers interact with at any one time”.