As lockdown restrictions ease in Ireland, life in Ireland is returning to normal, including rules affecting meeting people, traveling, and shopping.
From Monday, click-and-collect services and in-store shopping by appointment will be allowed as part of a phased reopening of non-essential retail, Close contact services, such as hairdressers, can resume.
While COVID restrictions on travel between counties have lifted and some of the limitations on indoor and outdoor social gatherings have eased, up to 50 people can attend religious services, including weddings and funerals, although a maximum of six will be allowed at indoor wedding receptions and 15 at outdoor celebrations.
Three households, or up to six people from individual households, can now meet outdoors, including in private gardens.
People from vaccinated households can also meet with an unvaccinated household indoors without masks or social distancing.
Many museums, galleries, and libraries are now able to reopen and groups, or pods, of up to 15 adults can get together for team sports training.
The maximum permitted capacity on public transport has also increased to 50%.
Next Monday retail will reopen fully, with a variety of other restrictions due to lifting in June.
On Sunday, Ireland’s leader, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, said he hoped Ireland could look forward to a good summer.
Ireland’s vaccination program continues to gather pace and on Friday the country achieved a record for the number of jabs administered in one day, 52,000.
Another two coronavirus-related deaths and 514 more cases were recorded by the county’s department of health, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to almost 253,000.
A total of 4,921 people have died after catching the illness.
