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11th July 2021
11:10am BST
Those under the age of 18 may be allowed inside restaurants and bars if they're accompanied by someone who is fully vaccinated.
Under plans being brought to Cabinet, the Government is working on ways to allow indoor dining to resume later this month for fully vaccinated cohorts and under 18s after the planned reopening on 5 July was halted due to concerns over the spread of the Delta Covid-19 variant.reported on Saturday that as part of a plan to be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday, those under the age of 18, who are currently not able to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, will be allowed to participate in indoor dining if they're in the company of a vaccinated person.
If the proposal is given the greenlight from Cabinet it will allow families to dine indoors together during the summer. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said earlier this week that rapid antigen testing may also be used as an alternative to the suggested Covid pass when pubs reopen.Varadkar said that fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from Covid in the last nine months will be looked at initially as part of a "cautious" approach to the reopening of the hospitality sector.
"We're also looking at the issue of children because we don't want to split up families, and then the issue potentially with people who have been tested recently," he told Newstalk Breakfast on Thursday.
"That would be a departure from public health advice and NPHET advice so we'd be loath to do that right away, but it is an option that's under consideration. But I would bear in mind that we're really powering through the vaccine programme now."
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