Covid-19: is the end of Lockdown 3.0 in sight?

All the signs are of a general easing of cases nationwide, but getting the go-ahead on the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines could finally bring about the reopening we’ve all been longing for

People pass by a new mural by CHELS (Chelsea Jacobs, an American artist living in Dublin), at the Grand Canal Dock area in Dublin: the national mood remains tense despite the pace of vaccinations rising in recent days Pic: Getty

Lockdown number three is finally drawing to a close, and we may allow ourselves a small sigh of relief. Vaccine recipients had previously been rare beasts, but by Friday, around one in four people living in Ireland had received at least one dose.

The fits and starts of the immunisation campaign aside, there is a growing proportion of us with at least some immunity to the virus and this is beginning to be reflected in ...