The Government went beyond advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) in its decision to allow under-18s return to sports training at the end of April.
The latest letter from the team also warns that the risk of a fourth coronavirus wave would be “very high” if public health measures are relaxed too quickly.
The Cabinet agreed on Tuesday to permit an extension of the 5km travel restriction to a countywide or 20km limit and a gradual easing of restrictions on outdoor activities from April 12th. Outdoor meetings of two households will be allowed, but not in private gardens from that date.
Sporting activities can also return, with training by GAA senior county teams and some high-performing athletes permitted from April 19th. Non-contact sports including tennis, golf and underage training will be permitted from April 26th.
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The team’s correspondence came on Monday ahead of the Cabinet’s deliberations on easing restrictions. The Government adhered to most of its advice in relation to measures such as easing the 5km travel limit and allowing outdoor meetings. But the letter also signalled that underage sports should not return until May and then on a phased basis beginning with under-13s.
The letter indicates that the health system is said to remain “extremely fragile”, with an “exhausted” workforce after the most recent wave of infections.
The number of patients in hospital and critical care remains high and there are more people in critical care compared with the peak of the second wave of the virus.
The team said the third wave of the virus caused “extensive disruption” to non-Covid care. It noted rising waiting lists since February 2020 for inpatient care (up 21 per cent), outpatient care (up 12 per cent) and gastrointestinal scopes (up 62 per cent).
The letter stated: “Any resurgence in Covid-19 will cause inevitable further disruption to non-Covid services. It is also important to note that the rollout of the vaccination programme also is likely to further displace non-Covid care over the coming period.”
In its advice, the team said the “approach in the near term must continue to be one of extreme caution, with the focus remaining on protecting the gains of the last three months and protecting the core national priorities until vaccination can offer more widespread protection”.
‘Cautious approach’
It recommends a “cautious, slow and phased approach” to easing restrictions with sufficient time between each change to assess its impact and respond to changes in the epidemiological situation.
The team noted the core priorities are to protect the vulnerable as vaccines are rolled out, to safeguard the health service and shield education and childcare services.
The team also said there is “limited scope” for easing measures at this time. Though it added that some measures are warranted to “improve societal wellbeing and quality of life”.Level 5 restrictions, it noted, should be extended from April 5th and reviewed at the end of the month once time has elapsed to assess the impact of a full return to education on April 12th.
It suggested easing travel restrictions from April 12th to enable movement within a county or up to 20km from a person’s home across a county boundary, with outdoor assemblies to be allowed in public between two households.
It said the 20km rule should be adopted only “if deemed to be operationally enforceable”.The team advised that golf and tennis facilities could return on April 26th and outdoor visitor attractions such as zoos could open on the same day.
The limit on numbers attending funerals could rise to 25, also on April 26th.
The team said: “Consideration will also be given to the phased return of non-contact outdoor training, starting with the under-13s in May.”
The Government announced that under-18s sports training can begin again on April 26th. Participants will have to train in pods of 15 and outdoor dance classes are also allowed to return on that date.
Nphet bulletin
In its letter Nphet said the measures it outlines are “in of themselves relatively low risk if all appropriate protective measures are taken”. However, “it is essential that they are not interpreted as a signal that wider socialisation and inter-household interactions are acceptable or appropriate at this time”.
The team advised that even with a continuation of all other Level 5 measures “it is likely that the profile of the disease will deteriorate at least to some extent over the coming weeks”. It said it was conscious of the upcoming Easter holiday period and acknowledged the particular burden that restrictions place on the population over traditional festive periods. But the team stressed the importance of “continued public buy-in and adherence to all measures” over Easter.
“Given the current disease profile, it is essential that there is no increased mobility or socialisation, inter-household and/or intergenerational mixing should be avoided, and people should remain in their normal place of residence over the Easter period,” noted the team.
It said its proposals for easing restrictions over Easter are “modest” but said if public health measures are adhered to “for a relatively short period of time (fully acknowledging the difficulties this poses for people and their families), we can be confident that we will be in a much better position as we enter the summer months.”
