The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will meet today to consider whether the next stage in the country's easing of restrictions should proceed as planned on July 5th.
The group will consider the incidence of Covid-19 in the country, the number of people in hospital with the virus, the progress of the vaccine rollout, and the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant.
Today's meeting follows much speculation over the weekend that the reopening will be delayed for a number of weeks, however no formal decision will be made until Nphet issue their advice to the Cabinet following the meeting, at which time Ministers will decide what next steps will be taken.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) is also expected to consider the use of Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson (also known as Janssen) vaccines for younger people, according to The Irish Times.
Currently, the two vaccines are not recommended for use in people under 50 due to concerns regarding rare instances of blood clotting linked to the jabs.
Cabinet is due to meet on Tuesday, after which an announcement on the reopening will be made.
Although many expect the return of indoor hospitality to be delayed for two or three weeks, Ministers have reportedly called for a definite reopening date, fearing it may be delayed again if case numbers increase over the coming weeks.
Last week, the sector called for early clarity, claiming the announcement which was previously expected to be made on Friday, July 2nd, was too late for businesses if they were to reopen on Monday, July 5th.
Ministers are reported to have said that if the July 5th reopening is delayed they will push for a commitment that the subsequent date is not pushed back further.
