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28th August 2021
11:55am BST
Micheál Martin said that September is to be a "significant month" as he expects the majority of the adult population to be fully vaccinated by then.
The official timeline for reopening won't be signed off by Cabinet until Tuesday, but the Government are said to go ahead with the easing of restrictions even if Nphet has not set out the full criteria.
These criteria include more than 90% of over 16s being fully vaccinated which is expected to be reached by September 20th.
Nphet has also said that they would like hospital and ICU figures to be reduced and continue to reduce by this time also.
If hospital figures and community transmission remains high, the easing of restrictions could be delayed until November.
Despite this, sources told The Irish Times that it will not stop the reopening, pointing out that "the public has done what has been asked of them."
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan is pushing for 100% capacity to return to public transport from next week, to help aid plans to return to offices, schools and colleges.
The return to offices is said to be done on a phased basis, with HSA checklists likely to be brought in for employers.
When it comes to theatre, there are talks of using vaccine passports to increase attendees in this sector, with 50 people currently allowed.
The attendance at outdoor events is also set to increase, which is currently at 500 but despite this, Electric Picnic is looking unlikely as it is continuing to be discussed despite Laois County Council not allowing it.
Indoor sport and dance classes are also expected to resume.
"We can certainly see the lifting of restrictions in terms of entertainment and theatre and the arts in September," Micheál Martin said.Explore more on these topics:
