05 Oct 2020
Posted by Lauren Beehan 
Level 5 travel restrictions are in place for the entire country as the government’s Living with Covid-19 plan until Tues 1st Dec.
During this time you, should stay within 5km of your home, unless you are making an essential journey. Here’s a round-up of all our information about travelling (or not) during this time.
Is my journey essential?
The government restrictions have specified the types of journeys that are classed as essential:
- travel to and from work, where work involves providing an essential service
- to attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products
- travel to attend disability day services
- for food shopping
- for vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, and in particular for those who live alone but excluding social family visits
- for farming purposes, that is food production or care of animals
- to attend a wedding or funeral
- to visit a grave
Schools, early learning and childcare services will continue to remain open.
All journeys for any other reasons should be avoided. Bear in mind that Gardaí will be operating checkpoints throughout this phase of the restrictions, which can be viewed in full here.
Is public transport running?
Yes, public transport will operate at 25% capacity for essential journeys. However, there are changes to timetables and some other restrictions in place to allow for physical distancing. We’re keeping a live list of the latest changes over on the AA Roadwatch Newsroom for the duration of the restrictions, and it’s also worth checking with the provider before you set out.
My journey is essential; what else do I need to know?
If you must attend work, or have to make one of the other essential journeys listed above, you can keep an eye on the AA Roadwatch Newsroom, where we’ll be reporting any possible disruption to your route (ie. collisions, road closures and any further changes to public transport). We also have a list of major roadworks that may affect your journey.
All road safety regulations and laws remain in place as normal; despite the lower levels of traffic, you should take all usual precautions. Be extra aware of other road users: pedestrians and cyclists may need to travel further out from the side of the road to allow the 2m safe distance between them. This is particularly important to watch out for if you’re driving.
And while the last thing you need if you’re driving is a breakdown or a puncture, we have advice on how to deal with these too: see our posts on how to change a tyre, and how to deal with a breakdown on a motorway.
I’m staying at home or travelling less; is there anything I need to do with my vehicle?
It’s worth keeping up your car maintenance while you’re staying at home to avoid any nasty surprises when the time finally comes to move it again – see our tips on things you can do to maintain a vehicle during the lockdown. If your bike is temporarily off the road, we also have some tips about bike security at home.
If you have a car parked up at home for a while, make sure you’ve parked in a safe spot that isn’t obstructing any road users. With more vehicles parked in housing estates and residential streets, please also check if you’ve left enough space for ambulances or fire trucks to pass by in a hurry – if cars are parked on both sides of the road, the space between them may not be sufficient. You can find out more on this in our blog post about safe parking.
As always, for those on essential journeys, we’ll have updates on restrictions, public transport and traffic disruption at http://www.TheAA.ie/Newsroom
