NEW: Govt to relax the 20km travel limit so that anyone can travel *anywhere within their county from Monday*, ahead of intended abolition of travel limits at end of June, when hotels and B&Bs will also be permitted to open. Boosts for tourism and rural Ireland. @VirginMediaNews
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 5, 2020
This afternoon.
We must have been really good.
Update:
For those asking: the ‘anywhere in your county’ is in addition to the 20km – you will be allowed to cross county lines to travel 20km, as well as travelling anywhere within the county boundary.
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 5, 2020
Suck it up. Louth.
Meanwhile…
Don't all go to the seaside at once, Leitrim. #Phase2 pic.twitter.com/6OV2PK13eT
— Arthur Riordan (@ArtRiordan) June 5, 2020
Gulp.
Meanwhile…
Shopping centres could re-open as early as June 15 under proposals considered by Cabinet. Retailers would be required to stagger hours and not open until 10:30am @rtenews
— Mícheál Lehane (@MichealLehane) June 5, 2020
Slowly, ever slowly the Govt realise the error of their ways and hope that the electorate will not find out/ punish them for their errors. Punishment is unlikely though as we get the politics we vote for.
People who moan that the Govt “got it wrong” are like climate change deniers who look out their windows at the snow and say, “see, this global warming is a load of rubbish.”
Eh right. Thats compelling. Did you mean to add more to that?
Blatant Wee County discrimination
Caravans?
So, if you live in Ballaghhaderreen, say, you can travel some 75 km to the Roscommon part of Athlone but not to the rest of the town, because it is in Westmeath and more than 20km from your home? Then there is also the consideration of the size of counties, as already mentioned, and the erratic nature of their borders – roads can cross backwards and forwards between counties.
This is getting more and more illogical and less and less to do with the reasons given in the first place for having travel restrictions at all!
I think the idea is that you can travel within your county.
And, if you happen to leave near a border, you can go 20km into the next county.
If they left it as just within your county you would have the crazy outcome that if you lived in Athlone.. you can’t cross to the other side of Athlone.
This way someone from Athlone can visit the whole town.
If you live in Ballaghhaderreen, you can travel 75km to Athlone or you could travel 19km to Swinford (across the border)
The announcement is as follows: Stay Local: You may travel within your own county, and up to 20 kilometres from your home if crossing county boundaries.
This does mean that if you go to Athlone from your home in Ballaghaderreen, you can only go to the part of Athlone that is in Roscommon. A similar situation would apply in other places, too: eg Carrick-on-Shannon, Limerick, Waterford.
I agree, Cian, that just having ‘within your own county’ would be even worse. However, as it is, it’s pretty unworkable, not only because of towns that lie in more than one county but because of the way that borders and roads wind around. On the borders of Mayo, Roscommon and Galway, for example, the roads go in and out of all three counties and back again! To ‘stay’ in one county, you have to cross borders temporarily, regardless of the distance you are from home.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m delighted that the relaxation has happened and that it is ahead of time. However, it is not, to my mind, very well thought out.
Which would you prefer?
the current 20km + your county (with the issues you raised) or, a bigger distance say, 30km?
At least this way, everyone can get to the largest town/city in their county.
Good point, Cian, and it is good that there is now some recognition that remote areas are affected differently. Realistically, think that, once the restrictions have got to this stage, they have become rather pointless. I can now travel 100 km in one direction but only 20 km in another direction (which doesn’t get me to my usual shopping place, which is in a different county). People in the north of the county can’t go to their nearest big town because it is in another county and over 20 km away (20 km isn’t very far in these remote areas and neither is 30 km!). Instead, they have to go a much further distance within the county and this might be dependent on the availability of public transport. I think that the travel restrictions should be removed altogether – I can hear the objections already!!!. Now that home visits are to be allowed, it’s time people were able to see their more distant family members, wherever they live.
Ask not what your county can do within you but what you can do with in your county
If you lived in Ballaghhaderreen would you not always be wanting to be moving away from the town, irrespective of borders?
Well, yes, if I did live in Ballaghaderreen, I would want to move away – but only because I don’t want to live in any town!
Ballaghaderreen is not at all a bad place to live, if you choose to live in a town – and Ballaghhaderreen ignores borders. It considers it is still in Co Mayo. Wonder how this new ruling will affect GAA training when the Mayo team starts training again…
Leitrim, I gather, does have about 2.5 km of coastline, so people in the northern half can bring their buckets & spades. oops, but there are huge boulders and no sand on that coastline. Better bring a pickaxe instead of a spade.
Lambs head, Co. Cork to Youghal, Co. Cork is 193 km
Lambs head to Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry is 32km
Gobpooery
Leitrim was an interesting example to pick because weirdly, it’s impossible to drive from the southern half of the county to the northern half without leaving the county.
You could walk across a field or swim across a lake, but there’s a gap in the middle with no roads and you have to briefly drive out of the county and back in.
Stay in your county has to be the biggest up your sleeve snigger from an Irish government I have ever seen.
I can’t help but feel an unpleasant reckoning awaits these clowns.
Election to be called in August for either 21st or 28th of September
It will be interesting if the travel restrictions are still in place?