Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid has urged people to embrace tomorrow's reopening of indoor hospitality safely and to "make it work".
In a post on Twitter, Mr Reid said: "As hospitality, society and the economy opens up further, let's all embrace it safely and make it work."
Hospital #COVID19 numbers are rising at 123, 21 in ICU. Positively, now over 5.5M vaccines administered with 83% of adults now partially vaccinated & over 68% fully. As hospitality, society & the economy opens up further, let's all embrace it safely and make it work. @HSELive
— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) July 25, 2021
The Government is expected to sign off on guidelines for indoor dining in pubs and restaurants today, which is set to resume from tomorrow.
Included in the guidelines, published on Friday night, was that customers will need to show their EU Digital Covid Certificate as proof that they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have recently recovered from the virus.
For fully vaccinated people who have not received their cert, other proof such as the HSE vaccination card will be accepted.
Photo identification will also be required and all customers will have to give details for contact tracing.
Once inside, there will be a limit of six adults per table, no bar service and, customers can only remove their masks when seated.
Children will be allowed indoors and premises must close by 11.30pm.
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The Vintners' Federation of Ireland has said that many pubs plan to spread their opening over the coming week.
Among the premises reopening for the first time tomorrow are almost 3,000 indoor-only pubs, many of which have been closed since the very first lockdown in March of last year. Some however will remain closed due to difficulties with guidelines | More: https://t.co/IB9wHV8k1L pic.twitter.com/bQuTnkZBiF
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 25, 2021
This is because the body only received the Government guidelines on Friday and many business owners and managers just received them yesterday.
Chief Executive Padraig Cribben said they are still awaiting the regulations so that they can advise members on certain specific details.
"For those reasons some will spread the opening over the week."
Mr Cribben said there are about 2,500-3,000 pubs that have yet to open. These are the pubs that did not serve food.
The Restaurants Association of Ireland said it expects that a quarter of Irish businesses will not reopen for indoor dining immediately, because they are unwilling to operate under the latest guidelines.
Speaking yesterday on RTÉ's The Business, RAI Chief Executive Adrian Cummins said he estimated that 25% of businesses are unwilling to operate under the current guidelines.
Mr Cummins said: "That is my gut feeling based on listening to businesses."
A lack of staff is the "single biggest issue" for the hospitality sector, he said.
Separately, a government spokesperson has said that there are no plans to defer the reopening of schools in September and that the Cabinet will discuss the plan for the reopening of schools on Tuesday.
