After being stuck on this journey with Covid-19 for so long, this week's new road map may have felt like a dramatic shift in gear - and even a sharp change of direction for some.
There are huge benefits to a fuller reopening of society, but some risks also. There could be a bumpy ride ahead, with daily case numbers expected to rise over the coming weeks, but then hopefully things will settle down.
No-one has a crystal ball on this one and even NPHET’s earlier optimistic projections on hospitalisations and deaths from Covid-19 for July to September have so far not transpired.
Thankfully, the numbers have been well below what was feared. So, now it's time to face the change, but carefully too. Dr Emer Shelley, Dean of the Faculty of Public