New findings from a survey of over 35,000 people have found that most people would like to see the 2km restriction on movement removed.
The population-wide Corona Citizens’ Science Study was conducted by research teams at NUI Galway (NUIG), Dublin City University (DCU) and the Insight SFI Centre for Data Analytics.
It examined the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictive measures on daily life in Ireland.
Respondents were asked to rank, in order of preference, which of the social restrictions they would like to see removed.
The 2km limit on movement ranked highest (50% of respondents had this as their first preference) - followed by the removal of the limitations on small group gatherings (37%).
People also ranked a return to work and school, in third and fourth respectively, with the re-opening of shops, pubs and restaurants as the fifth preference.
Some 10,830 people, representing 32% of the survey, reported postponing medical treatment or check-ups.
Of that group, 55% said this was because the healthcare professional was not seeing any patients at the moment, 39% did not want to create extra pressure in the health system and 26% were concerned about the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The postponed treatment included GP consultations (48%), hospital medical examinations (14%) and operations (6%).
The Oliver St John Gogarty and The Auld Dubliner pubs in an empty Temple Bar in Dublin, 16-03-2020. Image: RollingNewsSome parents reported postponing childhood vaccinations and pre and postnatal check ups, while fertility treatments have also been stopped.
Dr Akke Vellinga from NUIG is the joint research lead.
She said: "As time has moved on, and the restrictions have remained in place, the effects of social distancing have an impact on the number of people who report flu-like symptoms for themselves and for people around them.
"However, many parents are struggling to keep their children motivated to do schoolwork.
“The postponement of GP appointments in particular is worrisome, and people should not put off calling their GP when they are worried about something."
While joint research lead Professor Anthony Staines from DCU said: "These results show some of the real impacts of COVID-19 on our health and on our health services.
"Important treatment is being delayed, and there will need to be a clear path to fixing this before queues in our healthcare system become intolerable.
"We also see people beginning to think about life after lockdown, and making realistic suggestions for gradual easing of the restrictions.
"Irish people have made huge sacrifices to bring this disease under some control, which we needed to do before we could move on."
The public’s increased interest in DIY activities was seen, with 42% saying they were engaged in some type of DIY work, and 60% were busy gardening.
Walking remained the most popular activity with 90% taking part in this.
Indoor exercise was carried out by 56% of people, and the popularity of board games stood at 35%.
