It has been confirmed that a new roadmap for the further easing of restrictions will be issued by the end of the month.
The country has made huge progress with the vaccine rollout with more than 80% of the population fully vaccinated.
It was decided at the crunch Cabinet subcommittee on Covid that Ireland’s winter plan and last roadmap out of lockdown will be published on Tuesday week, August 31st.
Here's all we know about what restrictions are next being lifted and when that will happen:
What restrictions are yet to be eased?
Ireland has removed most of the strictest Covid restrictions which plagued the country throughout the pandemic.
However there are still many barriers to normal life as we know it.
Pubs, restaurants and bars are all still restricted in how they serve customers with vaccine passes and as well as restricted capacity and an 11.30pm curfew.
There is also restrictions on live music with no live events permitted to take place as of yet.
Nightclubs are also all still shut across the country.
There are also general social distancing Covid guidelines on the general public which are yet to be scrapped.
The Taoiseach has signalled that these will be the next restrictions to be examined with the new roadmap as Ireland enters a new phase of the pandemic.
When will restrictions be lifted?
Sources have told the Mirror that the Government will take the next week to look at how we will deal with “the next stage of pandemic from September and through the winter.”
The Government is now not looking at any further easing of restrictions until “later in September.”
It was noted at Thursday’s subcommittee meeting that Covid numbers are higher than expected and that this could be attributed to the impact of indoor hospitality and other lockdown easing measures introduced.
It was also noted that “we are naturally social people in Ireland.”
Micheál Martin has warned that Covid rates are “high, very high” as the Government prepares to stall the easing of any more restrictions.
The Taoiseach was explaining why we are slowing down the country’s exit from lockdown.
And he indicated that we could still be living with some restrictions at Christmas time.
Mr Martin spoke to the nation on RTE’s Six One in his first public appearance in three weeks since telling the Mirror that no more lockdown restrictions will be lifted for another month.
There will be a series of high level meetings next week with NPHET and the special Cabinet subcommittee on Covid where the new roadmap for the winter will be worked out.
Then Mr Martin will likely deliver another State of the Nation address after Cabinet sign-off on Tuesday, August 31 where the winter lockdown roadmap will be laid out for the public.
Mr Martin warned about Covid: “The incidence is high, very high, in comparison to other countries.”
On Tuesday week he said he will reveal “a roadmap to hopefully take us to the end of the year and beyond”.
He said: “We always said we’d reopen on a phased basis... our only priority is to protect people from the disease."
However, when asked if we would be free of restrictions by Christmas, he could not guarantee this, but added: “We’re talking well before Christmas, in some areas.”
