Ireland has delayed the reopening indoor hospitality. It also plans to restrict indoor dining to those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.After warnings from health officials about a possible outbreak of infections and death due to the Delta variant, the government announced the changes Tuesday.On 5 July, cafes and restaurants would reopen to make indoor hospitality more accessible to all. The sector will be reopened at a later date and only customers who have been vaccinated against coronavirus in the last nine months will be allowed to use it.We are in a race against the variant and vaccine... and we want the vaccines to win, stated Michel Martin, the Taoiseach.Ireland is the only European country to ban indoor hospitality. The decision to restrict access to people who have been vaccinated or are recovering from infection is similar to the actions taken by many countries, including Denmark, Austria, Germany and Cyprus.Although it was expected that indoor dining would be delayed, the decision to restrict access to certain categories of food caused confusion within government.Martin made the announcement without any plans to monitor, enforce, or certify the rules. This led some representatives from the hospitality industry to call the rules inapplicable. Stephen Donnelly, the health minister, stated that officials would urgently work with business owners in order to develop a plan.The gradual relaxation of restrictions has not led to an increase in infections. 40% of the population is fully vaccinated. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), warning that there could be an increase in infections in Ireland if the outbreak of the Delta variant occurs in conjunction with relaxations in coming weeks, ended any optimism that Ireland was poised for the next phase.It was NPHET's policy, and the government's, to not have vaccine passes. Leo Varadkar (the deputy prime minister) stated that Delta has made this a reality.With a population just below 5 million, Ireland would see 1,740 deaths in September. There would also be 1,200 people admitted to intensive care. This would make Ireland the largest country in terms of hospital beds.This variant increases the risk of onward transmission, making a significant fourth wave of infections possible. The magnitude of the fourth wave is unknown, according to the emergency team.Infected by the memories of January, when Ireland had the highest rate of infection, the government bowed to the advice of the public health officials in a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning.Martin stated that a date for indoor dining would need to be set by the 19th of July, when a plan will be developed.It is essential to maintain control of the virus in order to preserve and ensure sustained economic and social progress. While today's adjustments to our plan are a new twist in our storyline, our overall direction of travel remains unchanged. We are emerging from this pandemic. This is what we are doing.The indoor dining experience in hotels and guesthouses was resumed on June 2, but only for overnight guests.There are other relaxations. The number of wedding guests will increase by 50 to 25 people, and the spectator count at sports grounds may reach 200 to 500 depending on where they are located. The EU digital Covid certificate will allow international travel to Ireland on 19 July.Critics of indoor dining being restricted to the vaccinated stated that it would violate equality legislation, be inefficient, and make restaurants more likely to hire younger, less vaccinated workers.This plan was created at the eleventh hour, with no planning. Adrian Cummins (chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland) said that there have been many setbacks in the industry.
