An envoy from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has cast doubt over the fairness of allowing people to enter pubs and restaurants based on their vaccination status.
It comes as Cabinet are considering proposals from NIAC that would allow fully vaccinated people to dine indoors next month.
This system would permit only those who are fully inoculated back indoors at pubs and restaurants.
The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan indicated this morning that it would take a number of weeks to make arrangements for the 'vaccine ticket' system to be in place.
Dr David Nabarro, the WHO's Special Envoy on Covid-19, is dubious about the plans, saying it would be "not so keen" on seeing them being implemented in Ireland.
He said the health organisation would be "nervous" about such a system that could potentially lead to inequality in society.
“Whilst I understand people calling for the use of vaccine status to be something that determines whether or not people can get into a venue or country… I myself, in the current circumstances, am not so keen on that," he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“Access to vaccines is so unequal in our world, and I don't want anything to happen that increases the inequalities.
“If you use vaccine status as a requirement for entry to something, you’re also blocking out an awful lot of people from having any chance of participating.”
Earlier Adrian Cummins, the CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said only allowing vaccinated people only back indoors is not a workable prospect.
"Businesses across the country will be devastated with this announcement of a delay of minimum two weeks in order to get them back open," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
"The Government now want to press ahead with a system to get vaccinated customers into indoor dining. We think this is problematic, it's discriminatory and we don't think it's workable.
"Look at other jurisdictions - it hasn't been workable in Denmark or Israel - and it raises a number of legal questions under the Equal Status Act. So we need to get a number of answers today from Government."
An announcement from the Taoiseach is expected this afternoon following a Cabinet meeting.
