Pub and restaurant owners are hopeful that the 8pm curfew on their businesses will be lifted by the Government in the near future.
Members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) are set to meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss and analyse the recent trends of Covid in Ireland.
Case numbers in the last few days have started to fall, with the number of people in hospital and the intensive care unit (ICU) also remaining stable.
Speaking to the Irish Times on Monday, Fianna Fail’s Willie O’Dea said the 8pm closing time for pubs should be done away "immediately", instead of waiting until February.
"I’d like to see it lifted sooner. If they still wanted the pubs to close at 10pm rather than 8pm it wouldn’t make a significant difference to the fight against the spread of the pandemic."
Speaking on RTE Radio 1 on Sunday, the Tanaiste said he believes the current restrictions on the hospitality sector will be lifted "soon."
"Ireland is coming to the point with Covid where we also need to move on, and we've had very strict restrictions in Ireland for two years now. Last summer, and the summer before that, we had the strictest rules
"I don't think that should be the case this summer.
"I'll be pushing for a more ambitious, quicker reopening over the next couple of months.
"Nothing risky, nothing reckless, certainly something that's in line with our European peers."
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