Dublin's St Stephen's Green, closed to the public one month ago due to the Coronavirus pandemic, has been reopened by Office of Public Works (OPW).
While parks operated by Dublin City Council, such as Mountjoy Square and Merrion Square have remained open, St Stephen's Green, governed by the OPW was closed following the announcement on March 27th of additional restrictions on movement.
The council said it had made representations to the OPW to reopen its parks, including St Stephen's Green and the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, "to facilitate local residents and relieve pressure on city council parks".
The OPW said it had made the decision to reopen St Stephen’s Green following “consultation with many bodies including Department of An Taoiseach, Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána”.
While no decision has yet been made on the reopening of the botanic gardens “planning is in hand as to how the Gardens can be safely reopened to comply with the official guidance relating to social distancing,” it said.
“The public can rest assured that the Gardens continue to be maintained to the highest possible standards and that OPW looks forward to welcoming the public back to the Gardens when the time is right.”
The Phoenix Park has remained open to people who live within 2km for exercise only, but sunbathing and parking in the park is forbidden.
Recycling centres
Separately, the city council will reopen two recycling centres, closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, on Monday.
The "bring centres" at Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock and Gullistan Terrace, Rathmines will be open Monday - Thursday 9am - 4pm, Friday 9am - 1pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, but will be closed for lunch 1pm-2pm.
“In anticipation of high levels of demand, extra staff will be on duty to restrict the number of cars allowed entry at any time and to manage social distancing requirements,” the council said.
The full range of services at each facility is listed at dublincity.ie “The remaining bring centres remain closed and will be assessed over the coming weeks with a view to re-opening them on a phased basis,” it said.
