Live sport in this country could be given a major lift today if the Cabinet decides to proceed to Phase 4 of the government roadmap for reopening society and business.
Ireland was originally supposed to move on to Phase 4 in mid-July but a decision was made to keep the Phase 3 health measures on Covid-19 in place until 10 August due to a rise in the virus reproductive rate.
Currently 200 people can gather together at outdoor events, and that had been due to rise to 500 people in Phase 4.
That 200 limit includes players, backroom teams, media, officials, stewards and the rest of the volunteer core that assemble to stage matches, which has left very little room for supporters to attend matches.
The SSE Airtricity League and the GAA club championships, which are both now in full flow, have felt the pinch of these restrictions particularly.
Last month, the GAA officially called for the limit to be relaxed and pointed out that the association had done everything possible to provide a safe staging of fixtures throughout the country.
GAA president John Horan told RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland: "The change in attendance guidelines has delivered a hammer blow to the organisation.
"We put the return to the club game first to benefit our members and help out county boards survive for those clubs but our county boards were relying on an increase to 500 as a way of being able to cater for the demand on the ground from our supporters."
The GAA has spent a huge amount of time and resources implementing education programmes and protocols to protect those involved in their games and were confident they could facilitate crowds of 500 in their stadia.
In Northern Ireland, the Ulster Council has decided to let crowds of 400 attend games and this afternoon could see a significant rise in numbers attending games in the Republic.
All involved in the association are keen to stress they will continue to tread with caution and diligence if restrictions are lifted.
So far, club championships have been able to continue without much disruption as clubs follow the protocols laid down by the HSE and the GAA for a positive test.
Monday saw two Laois GAA clubs shut down all activity after a player from one of the clubs tested positive for Covid-19.
Due to a confirmed positive Covid test today by one of our adult hurlers, we will be shutting down all Club activities for the coming days.
— Park Ratheniska Timahoe Hurling club (@PRThurling) August 3, 2020
We will pass on more information as we get it. We are doing this in line with Laois GAA and the HSE and seeking as much guidance as we can.
Laois GAA clubs Park-Ratheniska and Timahoe immediately informed members that they were stopping all club activities.
They also contacted clubs they have played in recent days to inform them of developments.
An intermediate football championship match in Kildare was postponed due to concerns that a family member of one player tested positive for the virus.
Clerihan GAA club near Clonmel was shut down on Monday evening because of a suspected Covid-19 case within its ranks.
It's understood that a player who lined out for the club in a south Tipperary junior football match at the weekend subsequently displayed symptoms of the illness and made immediate contact with the out-of-hours doctor service Caredoc.
Clerihan played Ardfinnan in the first round of the Clonmel Oil South Tipperary Junior A football Championship in Ballylooby on Saturday evening.
The LOI returned last Friday but was forced to postpone Tuesday's match between Sligo Rovers and Waterford after one of the Blues' squad displayed symptoms consistent with coronavirus.
"It's a blow to hear it, but it’s not something that wasn’t going to be new to us, or a total shock to us. We had to be ready for stuff like that," FAI interim deputy chief executive Niall Quinn told the Irish Daily Mirror.
"I wouldn’t say we expected a case or two, but we wanted to make sure we knew how to deal with it when it arises. And I would be confident that Dr Alan Byrne and the national team he sits in will guide us the right way."
The Pro14 meanwhile returns on the weekend starting Friday, 21 August. Leinster have a Saturday night date with Munster at the Aviva Stadium on the resumption, with Connacht taking on Ulster at the same venue the following afternoon.
On Monday, the Department of Health was notified of 46 additional cases of Covid-19, with no new deaths recorded.
The death toll remains at 1,763. There are a total of 26,208 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland.
