Glasgow and Dublin, two cities comparable in size and population.
Dublin has approximately 1.4 million people and Glasgow is around 1.6 million – so why is lockdown easing quicker in Scotland than Ireland?
Here's how our slower rollout and tougher restrictions have left our neighbours just miles away from us, miles ahead of us.
Slow vaccine rollout
Scotland has offered the first dose of the vaccine to all under 50s, taking into account half of the overall population.
As of May 11th, 2,928,963 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination in Scotland compared to 1,347,561 in Ireland.
In Scotland, 1,506,613 people have received their second dose compared to only 501,186 in Ireland.
There were 379 cases reported in Ireland yesterday and 9 deaths were recorded.
In Scotland, there were 238 new cases and no deaths.
Tougher restrictions
Pubs have been allowed to open outdoors since April 26th in Scotland, with most Glasgow pubs having been unable to serve alcohol since September 2020.
In Scotland from May 17th, pubs will be open indoors and people will be able to go to the movies as cinemas will be open.
Leo Varadkar said pubs and restaurants will only be able to return for outdoor dining on June 7.
People in Ireland will have to wait until June 7th for cinemas, gyms and leisure centres to open.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon predicted a summer “similar to normality” at the end of June, while Ireland will have to wait until July to enjoy a meal indoors.
Mr Varadkar said predicted a summer in Ireland similar to the one we saw in 2020.
