As more information emerges about the severity of the Omicron variant, it looks as though Covid restrictions will soon begin to ease.
The HSE has reported that there are now fewer people with the virus in hospital on oxygen support, with Chief executive Paul Reid saying the current trends 'give great hope'.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar confirmed that he expects a 'phased' reopening to begin at the end of January.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1, the Tánaiste said he hopes the current restrictions on the hospitality sector, introduced late last year, will be lifted 'soon'.
He said Ireland was "coming to the point where we also need to move on, and we've had very strict restrictions in Ireland for two years now. Last summer, and the summer before that, we had the strictest rules".
He added: "I don't think that should be the case this summer.
"I'll be pushing for a more ambitious, quicker reopening over the next couple of months.
"Nothing risky, nothing reckless, certainly something that's in line with our European peers."
However, Mr Varadkar said the lifting of measures will be done over time and will not be rushed.
He said: "I think it will be phased. I don't anticipate that we'll just remove all restrictions at the end of January or the start of February. I think it will be a phased process over the next couple of months."
The Tánaiste said the government has acted in a cautious manner thus far throughout the pandemic but warned that being over cautious should be avoided.
He said: "On many occasions, we've acted out of an abundance of caution. But sometimes, an abundance of caution can be an excess of caution. And we need to avoid that."
However, he said: "We need to make sure that we are able to respond rapidly as well if there is a resurgence of the virus, and that is a possibility."
The National Public Health Emergency Team is expected to meet on Thursday to discuss the latest data concerning the pandemic and whether or not further restrictions will be lifted.
