Indoor hospitality to reopen no later than July 23

The new law, if passed, will allow those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 to enter bars and restaurants, while minors aged under 18 but accompanied by vaccinated parents or another vaccinated person will also be allowed access to indoor hospitality.

Indoor hospitality should reopen no later than Friday July 23 under plans to be approved by Cabinet later today.

After days of negotiations with the hospitality sector, ministers are set to approve a plan to allow fully vaccinated adults and children under 18 in their company dine and drink indoors, the Irish Examiner understands.

An incorporeal or non-physical meeting of the Cabinet will be held ahead of the normal weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, to facilitate a speedy passage of the legislation through the Dáil and Seanad.

The Government is hoping that approval from the hospitality sector will remove any political concerns about the potential use of personal data to allow passage into pubs and restaurants.

It is hoped that the legislation could be passed by the Dáil and Seanad before the end of the week.

Timeline of new legislation

This bill, which will have the effect of amending the Public Health Act of 1947, will pass through the Oireachtas on Friday and will require the signature of President Michael D Higgins. Once signed into law, the new system will immediately become operable.

According to Government sources, President Higgins, if satisfied with the legality of the legislation, could sign the bill at some stage between Monday July 19 and Friday July 23.

Sources have said that the new law, if passed, will allow those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 to enter bars and restaurants, while minors aged under 18 but accompanied by vaccinated parents or another vaccinated person will also be allowed access to indoor hospitality.

Proof of vaccination  

Under the proposed system, people who are fully vaccinated will receive a certificate including a QR code. This certificate can be shown on entry in app form, in paper form, or through an email on a phone, sources say.

It has also been confirmed that people who have been vaccinated in the North, Britain, and the US will be allowed entry into bars and restaurants, if they have proof of vaccination.

Following the establishment of a new group to develop the rollout of antigen testing, the new legislation makes reference to the role antigen testing will play in hospitality “in the coming months". Sources have said this proposal is part of the plan to make sure bars and restaurants will be able to continue to stay open from next week onwards and not have to close again.

The legislation will not contain a sunset clause, but is expected to be changed by regulation at the point where all adults have been offered a vaccination.

Restaurateurs welcome the initiative

In a statement, the Restaurants Association of Ireland welcomed the news that Cabinet would meet and sign off on plans to reopen indoor hospitality.

A mammoth amount of work has happened behind the scenes by Government officials drafting legislation to prepare for the resumption of indoor hospitality.

Adrian Cummins, chief executive Restaurants Association of Ireland 

Adrian Cummins, the CEO of the RAI, said: “We are within touching distance of reopening indoor hospitality which will allow for 180,000 employees return to work. It’s imperative we build on the progress to date over the weeks ahead.

The Government must now roll out a national information campaign for consumers and hospitality businesses.

"Finally, we welcome the inclusion of Northern Ireland, UK and US customers to dine indoors once verifiable proof of vaccination is provided,” he said.