Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said that the new set of rules announced by the Government yesterday could be described as 'Level 3 plus'.
Speaking yesterday after he addressed the nation, he maintained that "outdoor is the theme".
He said: "The key thing is outdoor is healthier in terms of avoiding getting the virus as opposed to indoor activities.
“So that has meant some variation on strictly from going from Level 5 to 4 to 3. You could describe it maybe as a Level 3 plus and there are variations but the overall framework is very helpful to us in terms of making these decisions.”
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar was on RTE's Prime Time last night where he was quizzed by host Miriam O'Callaghan about the new set of restrictions.
There's one differing restriction from these new set of rules though that has left people puzzled as hotels can serve food indoors but restaurants and pubs can't.
Here's what Varadkar had to say on...
Pubs
During the conversation, Miriam O''Callaghan asked the Tanaiste when does he envisage the return of indoor service for restaurants and pubs?
As per the earlier government announcement, Varadkar said that he hoped indoor service can resume in July before noting that the idea of wet pubs is now gone.
The need for a substantial meal is gone too and there will be no capacity limit placed on outdoor dining.
The Fine Gael leader said: "In July, hopefully, July for indoor dining but we're not committing to that now. Hopefully, July. We'll keep roughly three to four weeks between any phases. We are, of course, watching closely what's happening in the UK, Israel and the US where they're a bit ahead of us in terms of the vaccine.
"Now, one thing we have done - which is a change - is that the concept of wet pubs is now abolished. You won't be hearing about that again. And also, the idea of a substantial meal is gone and it's not just going to be 15 people outside, it's going to be based on the amount of space available," he said.
Why hotels can serve food indoors but restaurants can't
Varadkar was asked about this issue and said: "On June 2, hotels can open and make all their services available to residents, including their leisure centres and restaurants. I just came from a meeting with the business groups, which include the Hotels Federation and the Restaurant Association, and we did discuss this. The reason for it is that we've always allowed hotels to serve meals to their guests.
"I can understand why restaurants feel it's unfair that hotels can serve food and I have sympathy for that, but you know, it's always been the case, no matter what level we've been at. We've allowed residents of hotels to be served food and we didn't want to depart from that now. And bear in mind, it is a phased opening so we will have outdoor dining on June 7."
Holidays abroad
On the matter of Irish people being allowed to travel abroad, the Tànaiste wasn't optimistic. When asked to provide a definitive yes or no answer, Varadkar said: "I can't say that at this stage, unfortunately. I wouldn't advise people to book anything that can't be cancelled anyway.
"What I can say is we'll probably enter into a strange situation - probably around June or early July - when there will be tourists from Ireland and Northern Ireland, tourists from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, there'll be English tourists in Northern Ireland, and we can even me English people in Northern Ireland.
"I think one thing we might need to consider as a first step is reestablishing the Common Travel Area between Britain and Ireland, as it's supposed to operate. That might be an initial step, and then perhaps the EU after that," said Varadkar.
Here's are all the rule changes that you need to know for May and June:
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The following changes are set to come into effect from May 10:
- Inter-county travel returns
- Sports training for adults returns
- Hairdressers/barbers/beauticians are back
Three households or six people can meet outdoors or in a back garden
- Click and collect shopping resumes
Vaccinated households can meet with another household indoors
Libraries, museums, and galleries are back
- 50 people allowed at funerals and wedding services, but only 6 can come to the afters of the wedding indoors, or 15 outdoors
On May 17:
- The mass reopening of non-essential retail
On June 2:
- Hotels will be allowed to reopen, with the bonus for guests able to eat meals like their breakfast inside
On June 7:
- All pubs and restaurants allowed to open again to serve, but only outdoors initially
- Gyms and swimming pools will reopen
Any household can visit one other
Amateur sports matches are back on
Guests at wedding receptions up to 25
Cinemas and theatres to reopen
Share your views on Ireland's reopening plan here or below:
