So, what has been announced?

The Government has approved a plan which will allow fully vaccinated people, people who have recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months, and accompanied minors to dine and drink indoors.

How will it work? Will I need proof?

Yes, so 2m vaccination certs are being posted or emailed out to those who have been vaccinated to allow them show them on arrival at a bar or restaurant. This cert from the HSE will confirm you have been fully vaccinated (two doses) or have evidence of having recovered. The Government will issue people with a QR code with your details on your cert.

Who will check? Is it the Gardaí?

The certs will be checked upon arrival by the staff of the bar or restaurant you are frequenting. It will be a visual inspection and not scanned in the first instance. Customer data, once verified, will not be retained by the café, bar, or restaurant.

How will they know it is genuine?

Good question. By the Government’s own admission, there will be forgeries, but they say they believe the majority of people and premises will self-regulate this system. Some 350 HSE inspectors will be deployed to do random checks, along with 70 staff from the Health and Safety Authority. However, these people already have jobs to do and generally work office hours, so checks at night are unlikely. Gardaí will not be doing spot checks on establishments but can be called in to shut a premises down if a violation is reported by an inspector.

What if I am caught with a forged cert?

There are stiff penalties for an individual caught with a forged QR code and for premises whose records are not in order. People caught with forged indoor dining passes could face a €2,000 fine and/or a month in prison. A premises could be fined up to €2,500 or could face being shut down if found to be non-compliant.

What about people from the North, the UK or America? Can they get in?

Yes, the Government will introduce regulations that will allow the UK version of the EU digital cert to be accepted by proprietors. US citizens who travel here will also have to show proof of vaccination.

There has been talk of allowing those with negative PCR tests or antigen tests in too? Are they included?

Yes, but not in the first instance. The Government has announced a phased approach. Phase one is based on the cert for the fully vaccinated. Phase two will extend to allowing people with negative PCR tests, and phase 3 for antigen testing. A working group is to report back soon as to how phases 2 and 3 will operate.

When will this new regime come into effect?

The hope is the legislation, now approved by the Cabinet, will speed through the Dáil and Seanad this week to allow President Michael D Higgins to sign it into law. Then the health minister Stephen Donnelly signs a commencement order and it is hoped bars could open by Friday, July 23, but not later than Monday, July 26.