Covid-19: Irish Cabinet to meet earlier than expected over restrictions

The Irish Cabinet will meet earlier than expected in the coming days to decide whether to ease restrictions from 5 July, including on indoor hospitality.

The taoiseach (Irish PM) would not name the date, nor speculate on what the decision might be.

At present, indoor hospitality remains closed in the Republic of Ireland.

Micheál Martin said he understood "how difficult and devastating the year has been to hospitality".

"We get that, we understand that. And we also understand the need to give notice," he told broadcaster RTÉ.

No coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in the Republic of Ireland on Sunday; a further 340 people have tested positive.

On 7 June, outdoor service resumed for restaurants and bars in the Republic of Ireland.

Last week, the Restaurants Association of Ireland called on the Irish government to make a decision by Tuesday on whether all indoor entertainment will be allowed to resume from 5 July.

In recent days, there have been suggestions that indoor dining and entertainment could be delayed due to the Delta variant of Covid-19, something which has prompted the hospitality sector to demand a speedy decision.

The association maintains that the Irish government's Covid-19 committee must convene on Monday night to decide on its approach, and the cabinet must approve it on Tuesday.

The planned easing for 5 July, subject to the current health situation, would allow:

Ministers are also expected to receive the latest vaccine advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) on what vaccines can be made available to younger people.

The key areas of focus will be if younger people can in future receive AstraZeneca and the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccines and if people in their 60s can receive a different second shot to the first vaccine they received.

Mr Martin said whether AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccine surpluses could be used for younger people would be a factor that influences the government's decision to reopen hospitality.

He said he had spoken to the chief medical officer, and that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) would meet earlier next week in advance of the Cabinet meeting.

"The risk is different now to what it was at Christmas because 2.5 million people have been vaccinated and close to overall 4 million doses have been administered," the taoiseach said.

He added that it had been possible to reopen retail and schools "without causing any dramatic spikes".

The mantra is "anything we open, we keep open".

Mr Martin said that "there is urgency" to address the issue of older age groups waiting for their second dose of vaccine.

"Already we have announced that we are bringing that forward from what was originally expected," he said.

"By the week of 19 July all of those in that age cohort will be fully vaccinated and we have brought forward the timelines significantly."

The taoiseach said he "doesn't want to interfere or be seen to interfere with the deliberations of NIAC" on the use of surplus vaccines for younger age group.

But he said that the chief medical officer had written to NIAC in relation to this issue.

"It is not just AstraZeneca, there will also be 300,000 Janssen vaccines available as well," he said.

He added: "A substantial number of vaccines are available that cannot be used on the current age framework and guidance that has been given.

"Given that the Delta variant is here it is an issue that merits re-examination."

Mr Martin said that international travel should resume from 19 July as Ireland enters the EU Digital Covid Certificate system.

The aim is to enable anyone vaccinated against Covid-19, or who has tested negative or recently recovered from the virus, to travel within the EU.

He said: "We have given a commitment in relation to the 19th, so I think we will continue to operate the Digital Certificate."