People wanting to enjoy a pint in a pub or eat in a restaurant will need proof of a booster vaccine to gain entry, the Taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin confirmed there will be a requirement to be triple vaccinated to enjoy an active social life, as it was revealed that new Digital Covid Certs will be issued to provide proof that people have a booster jab.
The Government has said updated Digital Covid Certs will be issued automatically to booster recipients, with the process starting before the end of this week.
When asked if people will be required to have a booster to enter pubs or restaurants, Mr Martin said: “In the fullness of time, yes”.
“The HSE is now working on including the booster within the vaccination record and cert," he added.
Government decisions will have to be taken. It is very clear to us that the benefits of the booster are very significant right now, above all, preventing severe illness from Omicron.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet has decided that passengers arriving in Ireland are no longer required to produce a negative Covid-19 test.
This is because the Omicron variant is already so prevalent in Ireland, responsible for 95% of cases.
Ministers have also been warned that more than 200,000 international travellers could be grounded if updated Covid certs are not issued before February 1, after which proof of a booster vaccine is required to enter EU countries.
The warning is contained in a confidential memo seen by the Irish Examiner.
Under EU rules, Covid certs will become invalid from February 1 for foreign travel if a person's primary vaccination doses were more than nine months previous.
It means thousands of Irish people potentially face being prevented from foreign travel unless their Digital Covid Certificates (DCC) are updated to show the additional jab.
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The memo makes clear that while Ireland appears ready to update its Covid certs in the coming weeks, there is a risk of considerable disruption should the process hit any delays.
“Over 200,000 people vaccinated in Ireland on February 1 would be affected for the purposes of travel in the absence of a DCC being issued for the booster and additional doses,” the Cabinet memo states.
To address the threat, it is proposed to commence issuing certs for booster and additional doses from tomorrow, with the rollout of updated certs to continue ahead of the EU deadline.
The Taoiseach has said the levels of Covid infection remain "unprecedented" in Ireland and the next 10 days will provide further evidence on the severity of illness arising from the Omicron variant.
The bulk of the country's sickest Covid-19 patients, in intensive care units, still have the Delta variant and not the highly contagious Omicron strain.
A further 17,656 cases were confirmed yesterday.
"There is a broader range of pressures on hospitals this year, not just Covid, as there is far more activity out there," Mr Martin said.
"It still seems that the bulk of the ICU cases are Delta cases, complex, severe illness in many cases, and that is the feedback from the HSE.
"The hospitals are under pressure, staff absences are contributing.
The HSE has far more on its plate than 12 months ago with the rollout of the vaccination programmes, child vaccinations, and the booster vaccination programmes.
The National Public Health Emergency Team is to meet today to assess the epidemiological data.
The Government is to ask chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan to consider reviewing the rules for people who are identified as close contacts and are fully vaccinated.
Mr Martin said he does not anticipate any major changes in restrictions.
"The restrictions we have now are set to run until the end of January and the public have responded well to adjustment of behaviour and that is having an impact."
