1:49 pm, May 3, 2020
Irish car dealers will be allowed back to work on May 18, it has been revealed today.
Car dealers will be part of the same wave allowed to reopen as hardware stores, electrical and IT stores in a staged plan for the Irish economy.
The move follows car dealers being allowed to open as part of the first wave of lockdown restrictions lifting in Germany on April 20.
Car dealers will also be part of the first wave of businesses back to work in Portugal tomorrow (Monday, May 4).
The news will fill car dealers in the UK with hope that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s exit plan, due to be unveiled this week, will include them in the early stages.
On Friday, Car Dealer reported that talks had taken place between senior automotive officials from the UK with the government. It was rumoured that May 11 was a date proposed for UK car dealers to resume work at the meeting.
As part of the May 18 moves in Ireland, a phased return of outdoor workers will also be included, as well as public amenities reopening, tennis and golf courses, tourism sites and beaches.
Outdoor sporting activities will also be allowed in groups of a maximum of four people – all subject to social distancing measures.
Public transport will also have social distancing measures in place with heightened procedures at ports and airports.
The moves in Ireland will follow a five-step plan that sees restrictions slowly relaxed.
Pubs, bars, theatres, nightclubs, cinemas and casinos are just some of the businesses that will not be allowed to reopen until the last stage of the Irish plan.
More: Guidance document on how car dealers could open on May 11 discussed at summit
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