Digital Desk Staff
Cabinet ministers are expected to sign off on guidelines for the resumption of indoor dining today.
It will allow pubs and restaurants to serve indoors from next Monday - once the President signs off on the legislation.
Pubs and restaurants will have to close at 11.30pm, and work is under way on an app to scan Digital Covid Certs for access.
There will be no time limit on tables - and Speaking to Newstalk Michael O'Donovan, from the Vintners Federation of Ireland, says is a good development: “It will stop people going from pub to pub and going on pub crawls.
“Some may still wish to visit one or two pubs but at least it will take away the crazy scenario where people who want to go out for a couple of hours have to move on to another pub.”
“So some people now will be quite happy to stay two or three hours in the one venue and then go home afterwards."
Representatives from the restaurant and bar sectors held meetings with Government officials on Tuesday ahead of the planned reopening of indoor service next week.
Ventilation guidelines
Discussions centred around trading hours, social distancing between tables and ventilation in bars and restaurants.
It is understood that a digital Covid certificate checker is being developed by Government Information Services for businesses and customers in order to check valid certificates.
This will be ready next week and will come in the form of an app, although paper certs will also be accepted in the form of the card fully vaccinated people are given.
It is believed that unvaccinated children will be allowed to eat indoors as long as they are accompanied by vaccinated adults and seated two metres away from other tables.
There was also a “significant update” in ventilation guidelines including increasing air flow, air extraction systems and the use of CO2 monitors as recommended in the Government’s Work Safely Protocol.
It is understood officials are still working out how the system will be enforced, but it will be environmental health officers who carry out checks.
