A decision on the return of indoor dining is expected to be made towards the end of May with all the indicators heading in the right direction.
Speaking earlier this week, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar suggested that indoor dining could be back by July.
Varadkar said: "I have to say, looking at countries that are ahead of us in terms of the vaccination programme - for example, the UK and Israel - it's looking really good. It really does look like that when you get up to 50 or 60% of the population even just having one dose, it means the virus doesn't have many places to go. That makes me really hopeful to say that we will be allowed to do outdoors in June and indoors in July.
"In fact, I'd even dare to put money on it at this stage."
Ireland's current roadmap would see outdoor services in restaurants and bars, with groups limited to a maximum of six people, return on June 7.
And a decision is expected to be made on May 27 as to if the country can proceed with a reopening.
CMO Dr Tony Holohan said on Friday: "Yes, alcohol consumption represents a potential risk to that but you can see where we are in epidemiological terms. The level of the disease is stable as events unfolded over the course of the last six weeks.
"And so, that's giving us increasing confidence that if it doesn't change (case numbers), some of the kinds of activities - like people being able to meet up outdoors and have alcohol and food in an outdoors settings - we're not far away from that point."
