Hairdressers will be “prioritised” in reopening plan for May

A detailed statement on reopening is expected to be made next week.

Hairdressers and barbers will be among the first to reopen as restrictions ease in May. Non-essential retail and religious services will also be prioritised in the phased reopening. According to The Irish Times, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that as hairdressers and barbers have "suffered a lot", they will be "prioritised" at a party meeting yesterday. The news of prioritisation comes following a lengthy campaign from hairdressers and barbers in Ireland. When the government announced that hairdressers would be allowed to reopen in May, the Irish Hairdressers Foundation welcomed the news, but called for further clarity on the dates involved. The organisation's president, Danielle Kennedy said at the time that the country's salon owners would "greatly welcome more clarity". The group have consistently pointed to the ability of hairdressers to operate safely and in compliance with Covid-19 measures. An official statement on the next stage of reopening is expected next week. Additionally, An Taoiseach said that non-essential retail and click-and-collect services will also resume next month. With regards to hotels and guest houses, Martin stipulated that decisions around reopening would have to be made closer to June. In terms of international travel for leisure this summer, Martin said that a decision could not yet be made. "We are conscious that numbers have to be kept down," Martin said. "There is a variant out there that is very transmissible. That is the context." At the meeting, Martin addressed the reopening of college campuses this September, and alluded to antigen testing to facilitate in-person learning. "Young people have missed out a lot and their third-level experience and education has been disrupted for nearly two years," the Taoiseach said. "We need to change that in the next academic year. Antigen testing will play its part in allowing students back."