Government confirms phased reopening of salons in May

Tánaiste Varadkar has confirmed that personal services, including hairdressers, will reopen in May.

A further lifting of Covid-19 restrictions is scheduled to begin on 4 May, with the first changes to be made around outdoor gatherings and activities.

“Over the course of the month of May there will be a phased reopening of personal services, including hairdressers and barbers, but what we’ll also do at the end of April, which is not so far away now, we'll develop the plan for June and July,” he said.

He explained that this plan will depend on four things – vaccines, variants, case numbers and the state of the country's hospitals.

The Tánaiste also said that anyone who refuses an AstraZeneca vaccine will have to wait until the entire population is vaccinated to be offered an alternative.

“They would have to wait until the end, and it's not possible to know when the end would be, but it wouldn't be June or July, it would be later than that. The best option is the vaccine that's offered to you, and all the vaccines are effective and they're safe for the age groups they're indicated for.”

The Government promise to the  have offered a vaccine to 80% of adults before the end of June is “as a solid as it can be”, he added, and he said he is confident that this target will be met.

The Tánaiste also noted that vaccinated people could be able to travel freely within the EU within months, but he has cautioned that travel in the future will be different.