Foreign Affairs Minister has said that foreign travel could be back on the cards as early as July in a major boost for people hoping to holiday abroad.
Mr Coveney said that Ireland was likely to act with more caution than other EU nations in regards to foreign travel, but said that people could jet off abroad as early as July once they are vaccinated.
Speaking to The Tonight Show on Virgin Media One, Mr Coveney said: "The likely scenario here is that certainly in August but perhaps even in July we may well see international travel being a possibility again for people who are fully vaccinated.
"We will act with probably more caution than many other countries within the European Union and that's because I think as an island we have managed to get Covid levels down to a manageable level.
"Another seven people have lost their lives to Covid as of today so we need to be cautious and we need to make sure that international travel is not essentially reseeding Covid infections in communities in Ireland."
Meanwhile Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan echoed Minister Coveney's remarks but warned that there would still be obstacles in the future.
He Told RTE's Morning Ireland: "Covid is not going to go away . It'll probably convert from being a pandemic to an endemic.
"The purchases of new versions of the vaccine which allow us to protect against variants over the next few years is key.
"What that will allow us to do this summer is to start the opening up process.
"We have to be careful particularly in the next few weeks but we are very close now to being in a much safer place, and yes I expect further measures of relaxation in June and then again in July and August including the opening up of international travel and the return to college the the return to work places for those who aren't already in the work place.
"There will be a return to much more normal life. But the critical thing is that we go into the autumn and we have the further back up that ongoing vaccination covers any potential variants."
