Taoiseach Micheál Martin has wished all retail staff and owners good luck as restrictions are lifted to allow non-essential retail to open.
Taking to social media this morning the Fianna Fail leader sent a message to workers and those heading to the shops on day one of the reopening.
Mr Martin said: “I just want to take this opportunity to wish all of our retailers and the thousands of workers who will return to our shops today the very best of luck in their endeavours.”
More than 280,000 retail employees will return to work today after the prolonged closure of non-essential retail for 137 days.
The Taoiseach said the reopening is “further illustration of the progress we are making in relation to Covid-19.”
Thousands of shoppers are expected to flock to retail outlets across the country as some form of normality returns.
The Taoiseach also warned that people must remain cautious to ensure the reopening of other sectors as planned.
He said: “We need to keep the pressure on the virus to facilitate for the reopening’s of key part of our society. So, enjoy the shopping and we look forward to brighter days ahead.”
The HSE has advised retailers to offer designated hours for people who are considered high risk and suggested that all customers plan ahead before heading out on their shopping sprees.
Kila Harney, a student looking forward to hitting the shops, said, "I'm excited for the shops to open up again. I hope the queues won't be too long because it put me off shopping in Dublin over Christmas. It was crazy.
"It will be nice if there are fewer queues and maybe longer opening hours."
Some shops will extend their opening hours to cater for the large numbers expected over the next coming days.
Popular retailer Penneys opened their doors at 7.30 am across all 36 stores to manage customer demand following the booking of over 275,000 shopping appointments last week.
