New rules retain ban on exercise with others from outside your household

The changes to the quarantine regulations that came into force today mean that people can now go up to 5 kilometres from their home to exercise, and that those who are cocooning can leave their homes for exercise as long as they avoid all contact with other people.

To check how far you can go use: https://2kmfromhome.com/5km/

However, overall the situation is that everyone is urged to stay in their home wherever possible until Monday May 18 in order to help the country stay in control of this outbreak, and despite today’s changes on the exercise limits, you cannot exercise with people from outside your household

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There are exceptions for some workers in key businesses but for the majority of people, the rule is simple: Stay at home.

You can buy food and attend medical appointments and even get out for some exercise but you are being asked to stay in your home as much as possible.

You cannot arrange a gathering with anybody you do not live with.

The cocooning measures apply to those over 70 years of age and those who are extremely medically vulnerable to COVID-19. This is where they stay inside and isolate as much as possible.

The only reasons you can leave your home are

• to travel to and from work where the work is considered an essential service.

• If you are working in an essential shop, bank or post office

• to buy food, medicines and other health products for yourself, your family or someone who is vulnerable or 'cocooning'

• to attend medical appointments

• for vital family reasons including caring for children, elderly or vulnerable people but excluding social family visits

• to exercise within 5 kilometres of your house. You cannot exercise with people from outside your household

Essential services, shops, banks and post offices

• everyone who can work from home must work from home. This includes essential workers and workers in essential government, utilities or other functions

• the full list of essential services is available here

• the full list of essential shops, banks and post offices is available here

• adult community education centres and local community centres are closed

• all essential services should ensure safe working conditions are in place

• specific advice will be available from the Health and Safety Authority

Health services

• all non-essential surgery, health procedures and other non-essential health services are postponed

• all visits to hospitals, residential healthcare centres, other residential settings or prisons are stopped with specific exemptions on compassionate grounds

• pharmacists are to be allowed by law to dispense medicines outside the dates spelled out in prescriptions according to their own professional judgement

Transport and Travel

Travel restrictions will be implemented as follows:

• there is a nationwide restriction on travel outside of 5 kilometres from your home, except for the restrictions listed above

• public transport and passenger travel will be restricted to those who are buying food or medicines, carers, going to medical appointments and essential workers

• travel to Ireland's offshore islands is limited only to residents of those islands

• local authorities will relax on-street parking laws to meet the travel needs of essential workers

• the arrival of personal non-national maritime leisure vessels is banned (except to exceptions as 'port in a storm')