Face-coverings should be worn indoors where social distancing cannot be practised

Face-coverings should be worn in indoor settings where social distancing cannot be practised to limit the spread of coronavirus, public health officials have recommended to Government.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has also given the green light to the planned easing of restrictions from next Monday, The Irish Times understands.
The Cabinet meets today to discuss the package of recommendations from NPHET, which sources say contains no surprises.
The measures are then expected to be announced at a press conference attended by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister for Health Simon Harris and chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan.
The proposal for people to wear face-coverings will be optional and is intended as an additional hygiene measure on top of existing advice on handwashing and social distancing.
NPHETs advice, which will be the subject of a major public information campaign, stresses that not all people can wear face-coverings and no-one should be stigmatised for not doing so.
The campaign is also expected to provide advice to people on making their own face-coverings so that the supply of health-grade face-masks is not affected.
It is understood that the Government will seek to clarify the change in restrictions that will allow four people from different households meet outside.
Some sources suggested that it may be recommended that people only meet in groups of four once a day, although this has yet to be confirmed, rather than meeting in different groups at different times throughout the day.
It was also stressed that it will not mean people can, for example, have guests over for barbecues. This would entail people from different family units using the bathroom in another persons home, one source suggested.
It is also emphasised this will not mean people will be allowed visit the homes of friends or family. We dont want people in other peoples homes, a source said.
The five kilometre travel limit and social distancing will also apply to such meetings.
According to phase one of the Governments roadmap for reopening society and business, if medical advice allows, Monday May 18th will see phase one. It means garden centres, farmers markets, hardware and homeware stores will reopen as well as opticians, motor and bicycle repair shops and phone repair shops. Outdoor workers in construction can return including gardeners and those working in allotments. Up to four people who dont live together can meet outdoors while keeping at least two metres apart.
When asked about how long the current pandemic payment would continue, Mr Donohoe said on RTÉs Morning Ireland that government has not yet made a decision about an extension to the payment. Evaluations will have to be made about what the government might be able to offer in the future, he said.
We want to recognise the strain and worry that people are experiencing and to assure them we will try to keep jobs.
The level of intervention now in place had been enabled by the great care taken of the public finances in recent years, he said.
As soon as the government understands how the economy is responding it will better understand the economic consequences of the pandemic payments, he said.
We want to see the effect of the reopening first.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil on Thursday the Government was increasingly confident that phase one of easing restrictions would go ahead on Monday.
He said the virus is a fire in retreat. We must quench its every spark and stamp out every ember.
Speaking in the Dáil during a debate on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic he said we are still in phase zero, The moment we assume progress is inevitable, we risk going backwards.