Leo Varadkar has singled-out March 31 as a day when nearly all restrictions could be lifted.
The Tanaiste gave an upbeat update to the TDs, Senators and MEPs of the Fine Gael parliamentary party at their weekly meeting.
And he has started the clock ticking for March 31 as a potential "freedom day" that would see a vast swathe of restrictions lifted in one fell swoop.
However, the Tanaiste added a note of caution when he said that we must still be wary of another new Covid variant coming along later in the year.
A TD at the meeting said: “He expressed his wish to set March 31 as a deadline to end almost all legal restrictions, while stating we cannot promise anything yet and there is still the option of extending for another three months until the end of June.
“He also noted we may have to keep some measures another while longer such as mask wearing in crowded places, staying at home when symptomatic and Covid passes for international travel.”
The TD added: “He said we must continue to be prepared for a new severe variant of concern later in the year and that means being prepared for another round of vaccination if that's necessary, being able to switch back on test/trace/isolate programmes, investing in improved air quality in our buildings and continued increases in hospital bed capacity and ICUs.”
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