Leo Varadkar has said he’s “hopeful” indoor dining will return in early July.
The Tánaiste told the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment on Wednesday morning that the guidelines on outdoor dining and drinking, which will be permitted from 7 June, are currently being drafted.
The 42-year-old explained that it would mean six people would be permitted to sit at a table, which would be a metre to 1.5metres away from other tables.
He told the committee that people will not be required to buy a substantial meal to have a drink in pubs, and that there would be no time limits.
The Dublin native added that he is “very hopeful that we can return to something close to normality by late summer.”
Leo also said that the “vaccination programme is picking up momentum, administering approximately 270,000 vaccines per week.”
“Nearly 40% of our adult population has had at least one dose,” he told the committee.
It comes after non-essential retail stores reopened their doors for the first time in months on Monday.
Hotels and B&Bs are expected to reopen on June 2, while restaurants and all pubs are permitted to serve customers outdoors from June 7.
