THE CABINET WILL hold a virtual meeting tomorrow to sign off on plans to reopen indoor hospitality.

The meeting comes following discussions with representatives from the hospitality sector over the weekend.

It is understood that the plans will see indoor hospitality reopened to fully vaccinated people, with the EU Digital Green Certificate used as an indoor dining pass.

This is in line with guidance issued by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

Although the cert allows people who have a negative PCR test result to travel around the EU, only fully vaccinated people with the pass will be permitted to dine indoors in Ireland.

The Journal understands that people vaccinated in Northern Ireland, the UK and the US will be allowed to dine indoors if they have verifiable proof of vaccination.

The legislation needed to make the system legal will need to be passed by the Dáil and the Seanad, before being signed by the President, before it can come into effect.

A spokesperson for the government said it is committed to having a plan for the resumption of indoor hospitality in place by 19 July. 

In welcoming the news, the Restaurants Association of Ireland said a mammoth amount of work has happened behind the scenes by government officials.

“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,” Adrian Cummins, the Restaurants Association of Ireland CEO, said. 

The industry group said the government must now roll out an national information campaign for consumers and hospitality businesses.

With reporting from Christina Finn.

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