Businesses in Clare have welcomed new measures, which have resulted in all non-essential retail shops being closed.
From today, many shops have closed their doors and thousands of people who were in work yesterday are now at home.
Businesses in Clare are expressing hope that retailers who have closed their doors, will be in a position to resume normal trade in the short term.
All non-essential retail outlets have been ordered to close under new Government guidelines, announced yesterday, resulting in hundreds of thousands of people here and across the country staying at home.
Ennis newsagent Mary Kelly, who’s been trading for almost forty years, closed at the weekend, and she says it’s been a very difficult period.
Welfare payments have been increased to €350 for those who have lost their job due to COVID-19, while a Wage Subsidy Scheme guaranteeing 70% of salaries is in place, to encourage employers to keep workers on their payroll.
Before the announcement, many businesses were left in a position where they had no choice but to let workers go but Patrick Bourke, of Patrick Bourke Menswear in Ennis and Kilrush hopes this will encourage them to keep employees on.
Factories and construction sites can remain open, if proper social distancing guidelines can be followed.
Workers at many sites are concerned about the conditions they’re being asked to work in.
But Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe says it’s essential for the economy and to build facilities to tackle the spread of the virus.
