Leo Varadkar’s Cabinet will decide on Friday morning whether they will press the button on reopening playgrounds early from Monday.
This will be three weeks ahead of schedule and it will come as a massive relief to parents and families going stir crazy trying to mind young children through the pandemic.
Ministers will also approve on Friday the reopening of public libraries in another sign that the country is really starting to reopen now.
Playgrounds reopening are part of a series of proposals that Mr Varadkar was referring to in the Dail on Thursday when he said the Government would be asking Dr Tony Holohan permission to fast-track.
They also include allowing limited visits to hospitals, prisons and residential care facilities ahead of time in the roadmap.
And it is almost certain that High Street can further reopen on Monday as the Government is keen to announce retail outlets with doors onto the street can be part of Phase 2 instead of Phase 3 at the end of the month.
Cabinet will also discuss plans to scrap the 20kms travel limit well before its due to be lifted for phase four, on July 20th, after huge pressure from rural politicians of all political parties.
On Thursday evening a further five Covid-19 related deaths were reported while 38 new cases were confirmed bringing the death toll to 1,644.
Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group said that the lifting of coronavirus. restrictions has not negatively affected the reproduction rate of the disease in Ireland.
Ireland's 'r number' currently sits between 0.4 and 0.7.
Mr Nolan added: "The easing of restrictions in Phase One has not negatively impacted the r-number, in no small part thanks to the collective behaviours of our population in preventing resurgence of the disease.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan added that there is a continued 'downward trend' in the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations and ICU admissions.
