Outdoor dining and intercounty travel to return in June and July

Taoiseach expected to reveal details on Thursday of restrictions and reopenings to happen from May onwards if certain conditions are met, including a continued decline in Covid cases and the successful rollout of the vaccine programme

There is continued nervousness in government about the reopening plan being disrupted by a rise in Covid-19 cases and a slowdown in the pace of the vaccination programme

Outdoor dining and beer gardens could resume in June, while intercounty travel, indoor dining and hotels could reopen in July, under the government’s plans to ease the Covid-19 restrictions.

The latest Business Post/Red C poll shows that around 46 per cent of people believe the government is being too slow to lift restrictions as cases fall, while a slight majority – 51 per cent – disagree with a faster reopening.

Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach, is ...