Over 100,000 people visited Dublin today on the first day of phase 2 of the road plan to reopen the economy.
Thousands of businesses reopened for the first time in weeks and people are allowed to visit anywhere in their own county and travel 20km from their home.
Shoppers and shop owners have been getting used to new social distancing measures on the high street.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Tom Brabazon said: "I would like to thank all Dubliners for the responsible way they have approached the re-opening of our great city. After months of lockdown it’s really lovely to see people back in the city-centre again. I had a walk around this afternoon and the vast majority of people I saw were keeping to the guidelines and enjoying the sunshine. Thanks to everyone for playing your part."
Anne Graham, CEO of NTA said: “We’d like to thank customers for responding positively to our call to travel into the city on off-peak services where possible. As a result, public transport operated very smoothly so far today.”
Richard Guiney, CEO of DublinTown said: ‘It’s great to see people spreading out their visits throughout the day which is fantastic. There’s a great buzz around town today but people are taking it easy and adhering to social distancing, queueing etiquette and our advice over the weekend.’’
Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy said: “An Garda Síochána would sincerely like to thank people for listening to the messages and adhering to the requests associated with the temporary restrictions in place in the city. The easing open of the city centre appears to be going really well with everyone playing their part, a reflection of how the public have responded to challenges throughout these difficult times. An Garda Síochána, Dublin City Council, the National Transport Authority and Dublin Town would appreciate the public’s continued cooperation on this really great day, and they hope that everyone enjoys the wonderful experience that Dublin city has to offer”.
