Hopes for Irish people to get a holiday abroad in the comings weeks have been given a major boost as the EU is expected to approve so-called vaccine passports soon.
There has been much talk of a 'green-cert' system that would allow for unrestricted travel between member states for fully vaccinated people.
And a European Commission proposal calling for travel restrictions on non-EU countries with high vaccination rates to be lifted is due to be debated by EU ambassadors on Wednesday.
The EU scheme would see member states adopt uniform entry requirements, giving fully-vaccinated holidaymakers from low-risk countries unrestricted entry to the likes of Spain, France, Italy and other popular destinations.
Those who are not vaccinated will have to present a negative Covid test or evidence of immunity.
With Covid infections relatively low and the vaccine rollout continuing to ramp up in Ireland, the move could be a major boost for people hoping to get away for a sun holiday in the near future.
A number of non-EU countries will also be included in the green lift allowing holiday travel from countries with Covid infection rates below 100 cases per 100,000 of the population rather than the current 25 per 100,000.
The good news comes following comments from Leo Varadkar which seemed to dash hopes of a return to foreign travel saying that August would be the likely month when people could get abroad.
However, if the Covid passports get the go-ahead this could happen even sooner.
The Tanaiste has also voiced his support for the return of travel between Ireland and the UK but said the Indian variant of the Covid virus was now a concern in the UK “and we have to keep a close eye on that".
He added that the Cabinet would have to consider any moves on aviation in the context of a possible re-seeding of the virus in Ireland.
