Connacht Tribune
Phase 3: re-opening details
The revised Phase 3 will see a significant easing of restrictions on June 29th.
The following is a list of facilities and sectors that can re-open:
Education and childcare
The following may reopen:
- all adult education facilities
- creches, childminding facilities and pre-schools
- summer camps
- youth clubs
- all indoor and outdoor amenities for children
Economic activity and work
Anyone who can work from home should continue to work from home wherever possible.
Businesses that can reopen
The following may reopen:
- wellbeing services – for example: chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, reflexology and homoeopathy
- hairdressers, barbers, nail and brow salons, beauty salons, spas, make-up application services, tanning, tattooing and piercing services
- driving schools
- all remaining retail (for example, bookmakers), services and commercial activities
Driving tests as well as volunteer and other driving services may recommence.
Compliance with work protocols and health guidance will be monitored by State agencies.
Social
Indoor gatherings
Indoor gatherings of up to 50 people when conducted in line with public health advice are permissible.
Outdoor gatherings
Outdoor gatherings of up to 200 people when conducted in line with public health advice are permissible.
Businesses that can reopen
The following may reopen:
- cafés and restaurants providing on premises food and beverages
- pubs and hotel bars operating as restaurants
- hotels, hostels, caravan parks and holiday parks
Music
Specific recommendations apply to singing, choirs and playing musical instruments in groups.
Note: All of the above are subject to the Phases 3 and 4 restrictions on numbers for public gatherings and other important public health advice.
Cultural and religious
The following may reopen:
- museums, galleries, theatres, concert halls and other cultural outlets
- cinemas, music venues (excluding nightclubs and discos), leisure facilities, bingo halls, arcades, skating rinks, amusements parks
- religious buildings and places of worship
Note: All of the above are subject to the Phases 3 and 4 restrictions on numbers for public gatherings and other important public health advice.
Sport
Sporting activities may recommence, including:
- team leagues for adults and children
- close contact sports
- organised sporting spectator events and fixtures
The following may reopen:
- indoor gyms and exercise facilities
- yoga, pilates and dance studios
- sports clubs and public swimming pools
Note: All of the above are subject to the Phases 3 and 4 restrictions on numbers for public gatherings and other important public health advice.
Transport and travel
Walk or cycle if possible.
Public transport
- social distancing means that overall capacity remains restricted
- use public transport only for essential journeys
- face coverings should be worn
- avoid peak-time travel
International travel
- all non-essential overseas travel should be avoided
- passengers arriving from overseas are expected to self-isolate for 14 days
- passengers will also have to complete a form showing where they will self-isolate
Tourist travel to offshore islands may resume.
Private transport
Tour, event and private bus use, and vehicle hire may recommence.
Advice for those over 70 years or medically vulnerable
If you are over 70 or medically vulnerable, please use your judgement to decide how best to apply the following health guidance:
- stay home as much as you can
- maintain social distancing with visitors/those whom you visit and use face coverings
- use the times specially allotted for shopping
- use face coverings when attending shops or busy public areas
Face coverings
Face coverings are recommended for public transport, retail outlets, and other places where it is difficult to maintain social distancing.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “The virus hasn’t gone away. We are all still susceptible to it. Certain types of activity are more risky than others, so we must lower that risk by taking appropriate steps, wearing face coverings, maintaining physical distancing, washing our hands and so on.
“Taking personal responsibility means not entering a place if you see it is packed. It means leaving somewhere, even if you are having a good time, if you have been there beyond a certain point. It means exercising judgement and self-control for your own sake as well as the collective good.”
Phase 4 on July 20th will see the reopening of pubs, bars, hotel bars and casinos, while gatherings of up to 100 people indoors and 500 outdoors will be permissible.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
