Three counties in Ireland placed on Level 4 restrictions
The Irish Government has decided to move the border counties of Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal to Level 4 Covid-19 restrictions, effective from midnight on 15 October for three weeks.
As part of the Plan for Living with Covid-19, a Framework for Restrictive Measures consists of five levels, with Level 1 being the lowest, and Level 5 having the most severe restrictions.
The whole country recently moved to Level 3 because of concerns about rising Covid-19 cases. Now the border counties of Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal are to move to Level 4, due to the high incidence rate of the virus in the three counties, and the rapid rise of cases in Northern Ireland.
The rest of of the country is on an enhanced Level 3, with household visits banned except on compassionate grounds, and people being urged to work from home where possible.
Under Level 4, all non-essential businesses will be closed – this includes all hair and beauty salons and services. Habic has advised its members in Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal to now contact their clients and staff to inform them of the situation, and to apply to Revenue for their Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the new Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS).
The CRSS was announced by the Government as part of Budget 2021. Aimed at businesses that are forced to close temporarily due to Covid-19 restrictions, applicants will be eligible to receive up to €5,000 per week.
