Workplace attendance remains restricted
by Bernard Harbor
 
The phased reopening of in-school services between next week and 12th April was the only significant easing to be announced.
The phased reopening of in-school services between next week and 12th April was the only significant easing to be announced.

Official public health restrictions on workplace attendance will stay in place until 5th April at the earliest after the Government announced that Level Five restrictions would remain in force until then.

 

The regulations say staff should not go into work unless they perform an essential health, social care or other essential role that can’t be done from home.

 

The phased reopening of in-school services between next week and 12th April was the only significant easing to be announced. Level Five limits on travel and assembly remain in place.

 

The Government’s new ‘resilience and recovery’ plan, which was published earlier this week, says some restrictions could be relaxed after 5th April if official public health advice allows, transmission rates fall to acceptable levels and the vaccination programme progresses as planned.

 

But all the indications are that, even then, any let-up in restrictions will be cautious.

 

Last month, Fórsa warned that workplace attendance guidelines issued to public service managers fell short of official Government advice to employers across the economy, with the result that there had been no significant reduction in the numbers of public service staff being instructed to travel to work since Level Five restrictions were announced in December. Since then, the union has won improvements in a number of employments.

 

This week’s Government announcement also extended income support schemes. The pandemic unemployment payment and emergency wage subsidy scheme are to remain in place until the end of June.

 

And, on the positive side, an acceleration of the vaccination programme is set to begin if expectations about supply and the approval of new vaccines are realised. The Government says it’s confident that the number of vaccinations will increase from 100,000 to 250,000 a week next month, and to 300,000 a week after that.

 

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told RTÉ news he believed that over 80% of adults would have had at least one vaccination by the end of June.

 

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