Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister Simon Harris have outlined a possible month-by-month easing of restrictions which would see us back inside pubs by June at the earliest.
Although the Fine Gael leader has warned that the Covid vaccine supply could slow down current reopening plans, he did say it would only be by two to three weeks.
Their aim of having four out of five people vaccinated by the end of June is looking unlikely and will have a knock-on effect on plans to lift lockdown restrictions.
But Leo Varadkar is remaining upbeat and is "hopeful" for a pint at a bar or a bite to eat by June or at the latest, July.
It could also mean that we see outdoor dining reintroduced first, possibly in May, to prepare the ground for the wider reopening of hospitality in the months after.
Minister Simon Harris has echoed his party colleague's comments saying that there was a "potential for more" in May including "outdoor dining and the likes".
The Tánaiste also talked about the possibility of indoor dining returning in June or July.
Varadkar added: "What we indicated for May never included indoor dining, but hopefully it’s a prospect for June or July."
It comes as five 'redzone' Dublin areas were pinpointed as Ireland's most dangerous this week in new and worrying HSE figures.
As well as this, Intel confirmed that around 70 workers have tested positive for COVID-19 at a construction site at their Leixlip plant.
The company was informed by its main construction contractor that staff had tested positive for the virus over the weekend and is now working with public health authorities to engage in follow up testing to identify any further cases.
