Ireland to limit indoor bar, restaurant service to vaccinated people

Ireland is to restrict indoor drinking and dining in bars and restaurants to those who are fully vaccinated or who have previously been infected by COVID-19, Prime Minister Micheal Martin announced on Tuesday.

The move is part of a more cautious approach to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions due to concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Martin said indoor dining would not be reopened on Monday as planned but would be delayed until a new system of vaccine certification has been implemented.

“A return to other indoor activities, including hospitality, will be delayed … given the increased transmissibility for the Delta variant,” Martin said.

The safest way to now proceed with a return to indoor hospitality is to limit access to those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID infection, he said.

Ireland would be one of the first places in Europe to introduce such a measure. Moscow introduced similar restrictions on Monday.

Bars, restaurants, and cafes have been closed in Ireland for much of the past 16 months, with the latest national lockdown in place since late December. Outdoor dining and drinking has been allowed since June 7.

Ireland has the fifth highest rate of COVID-19 infections of the 31 countries monitored by the European Centre for Disease Control.