Ireland lockdown changes in July as return of indoor dining delayed

Ireland will see a number of major changes over the next month as Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced the next steps in reopening the country.

Indoor dining and drinking was due to make a return on July 5 but that has now been pushed to July 19.

This is due to the rise of the delta variant, which is far more transmissible than previous variants.

Additionally, ministers are considering only allowing people who are fully vaccinated or have recently recovered from COVID-19 to eat and drink in restaurants and pubs - a rule which was kicked up a storm in the hospitality sector.

Here is a list of all the changes that are expected to be put in place in July:

From July 5th

-200 people can be permitted at outdoor events in the majority of stadiums

-500 people are allowed into venues with capacity greater than 5,000

-No limit on the number of people who can visit together once fully vaccinated or have had Covid-19 infection in the previous nine months

-Guests at weddings can increase to 50 from 25 at receptions

-Unvaccinated households may have visitors from one other unvaccinated household

-People should continue to work from home

-Indoor activities, such as organised events, return of service in bars and restaurants, group training, exercise and dance will not yet proceed

From July 19th

-International travel the EU Digital Covid Certificate is expected to be operational in Ireland so fully vaccinated people could travel abroad

-However, the Government has said its current advice is to avoid non-essential international travel