Ireland continues to battle against the most recent surge of the Delta variant as hope grows that Ireland could soon returns to normality.
The vaccine rollout has been hugely successful in Ireland with now over 80% of the adult population already fully vaccinated.
And now there are plans being put together for the further easing of restrictions in the coming weeks as the population is inoculated.
New roadmap plans
The government is currently putting together plans to announce another roadmap for the further easing of Covid restricitions in the near future.
However it appear as though current restrictions will still remain in place until at least September to facilitate the return of schools and colleges
Widespread reports suggest that the government's draft plans for the full reopening of the country will however be published by the end of the month.
Live events rows
Arts Minister Catherine Martin is blaming Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and her ministerial colleagues for not approving plans to get the entertainment sector reopened.
It is understood by the Mirror that her concerns - presented in writing two weeks ago to the three Government leaders - have effectively been ignored and the can kicked down the road again.
The Minister for Arts and Culture is taking flak from the music and entertainment industry over the continued closures and she faced an angry group of representatives this afternoon.
They were infuriated when she was unable to give them any update or roadmap for reopening, but she claimed that this is not her fault.
The Minister is said to be frustrated with the leaders in her own Government for not approving a plan for reopening which she presented almost two weeks ago.
Her reopening plan was put before a special Cabinet meeting on August 6, but it was not approved on that date.
And Ms Martin is believed to be extremely unhappy that she cannot get a seat at the special Cabinet subcommittee on Covid to present her case.
Dr Tony Holohan's latest warning
Dr. Tony Holohan has said that the latest Covid figures should act as "a stark reminder" for everyone to continue adhering to the public health guidelines as the delta variant continues to cause a rise in case numbers.
Despite Ireland's positive uptake of the vaccine, the CMO has warned that the rise in case numbers could lead to a dangerous epidemiological situation for the country.
"The number of patients with Covid-19 in hospital and ICU has continued to increase in recent weeks. At the moment, 43% of patients with Covid-19 in ICU are aged less than 50 years of age. This is a stark reminder to all of us to continue to adhere to the public health guidance and to ensure to receive both doses of Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is offered.,"
"In the main, we have seen very high vaccination figures in our population, particularly in the over 60s cohort who were offered their vaccines first.
"Unfortunately, incidence of disease is increasing across all age groups. Covid-19 vaccines are ensuring that those who are fully vaccinated are protected from the severe illness and poor outcomes related to this disease.
"For every fully vaccinated confirmed case of COVID-19, we know that vaccines are preventing about 4 other cases.
"We have shown time and time again in this country that we can break the chains of transmission of Covid-19 and continue to protect ourselves and our loved ones by supporting one another to adhere to the public health advice.
"If you display symptoms of Covid-19 like cough, fever, headache, sore throat and blocked or runny nose - isolate and get a test immediately."
