The country will know by the end of this week when indoor hospitality, international travel and live events can return.
It's set to be another busy few days for Government Ministers and public health officials as they consider what restrictions will be lifted this summer.
Many people will be most anxious to know whether indoor dining and drinking will be on the cards soon and if foreign holidays will be possible in the coming months.
Any future easing measures will be contingent on the “black cloud on the horizon” that is the Covid-19 variant which originated in India.
The Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan warned on Friday that NPHET is "concerned genuinely" about the variant, with 72 cases confirmed in Ireland so far.
Here's the latest situation with the strain and what announcements the country can expect on Friday:
Taoiseach's announcement
Pubs
Micheal Martin's "comprehensive" plans are set to be revealed on Friday following a NPHET meeting on Thursday and his statement will include details on the resumption of indoor hospitality.
Outdoor dining and drinking will be allowed from June 7 and more clarity on the rules in place in pubs and restaurants will also be released on Friday.
It is expected that the €9 substantial meal rule will be scrapped, while the time limit for patrons will also be removed, outdoors at least.
What's less clear is when people will be permitted indoors, with business owners concerned that the Irish weather will put a dampener on trade until this is allowed.
In line with the Taoiseach's preference for a cautious reopening, it is likely that indoor hospitality will be delayed.
Publicans have been calling on the government to allow them to reopen on July 1 at the latest after indoor dining resumed in Northern Ireland on Monday.
However, when asked about indoor dining and allowing publicans to welcome customers back inside from July 1, Mr Martin said he wanted to see what impact the reopening of hotels and outdoor dining would have on the virus “during July".
He added it will be a “gradual reopening” like what has happened with retail, signalling that it could be mid-July when indoor dining is allowed.
International travel
The drive towards the resumption of international travel has been moving up a gear in recent weeks with the preparation of the EU Digital Green Certificate scheme.
The system will allow travellers to prove they are vaccinated against Covid-19, tested negative for the virus or recently recovered from infection.
It is expected that the scheme will be in place by the end of June as the EU is keen to facilitate greater freedom of movement between Member States.
However, there has been speculation that Ireland will only implement the so-called vaccine passports at the end of July, meaning international travel could be allowed by August.
The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan reiterated on Sunday that foreign travel and holidays will resume "later in the summer".
Further information on a clear timeline for international travel returning will be released during Friday's announcement, the Green Party leader told Newstalk.
Entertainment
During the same interview, Minister Ryan said that large public cultural and sporting events could also be allowed towards the end of the summer.
He said big gatherings such as the All Ireland finals could facilitate thousands of fans, with small events due to be trialled in the coming weeks.
"We'll start small around the country with different types of events, obviously more outdoor than indoor, sporting as well as cultural, and by the end of the summer, on the basis of those trials, be able to do a lot more public events," he said.
Following his comments, the Minister for the Arts Catherine Martin said yesterday that there will be a return of cultural events and concerts in June.
These varied test events, with capacity ranging depending on the venue, could allow up to 5,000 fans to attend.
Ms Martin confirmed that some of them would be along the same lines as the Sefton Park music concert in Liverpool earlier this month.
Indian variant
There is growing concern among health officials about the risk posed by the strain of Covid-19 which first emerged in India and is now designated as a 'variant of concern' here.
The CMO said reports indicate that the B.1.617.2 variant is even more transmissible than the mutation that developed in Kent in the UK.
Meanwhile, Eamon Ryan said at the weekend that Ireland's strategy with mandatory hotel quarantine would adapt in the future to protect the country from emerging variants.
However, there was good news from the release of a UK study which found that two vaccines being used to fight the pandemic are "highly effective" against the Indian variant after two doses.
The research from Public Health England showed that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are 88% and 60% effective after the second dose, respectively.
Immunology expert Professor Luke O’Neill said that while the vaccines are not as effective against the Indian strain compared to the UK mutation, they are still effective in preventing severe disease.
