Indoor dining was set to resume on Monday, July 5th, but a rise in cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 has led to a postponement until at least the 19th of July.
It will then open to fully vaccinated people or those who've recovered from Covid - with a system for managing it being worked out over the coming weeks.
Retail Excellence, the largest representative body for the retail industry in Ireland, has called it a “hammer-blow” for the hospitality sector.
Retail Excellence represents over 300 cafes and coffee-shops throughout the country and says it’s "extremely unhelpful" that the Government has not given a timeframe for the delay.
It adds that it remains to be seen how a Government plan to allow indoor dining for fully vaccinated people would work.
Fergal Doyle, who is a Board Member with Retail Excellence, spoke to our reporter Diarmuid Pepper following today’s announcement:
