Q&A: Restaurants and bars reopen. What other restrictions are being eased?

What restrictions are being eased on Monday?

Monday will see the reopening of restaurants, cafes and bars for outdoor dining.

Gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres can reopen for individual training only, while non-professional outdoor sports matches can take place once again. Also allowed to reopen are cinemas and theatres.

A maximum of 100 people can attend organised outdoor events, although up to 200 can attend outdoor venues with a minimum accredited capacity of 5,000.

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Up to 25 people can attend a wedding celebration, while 25,000 driver theory tests can take place per month.

When it comes to having people in your own home, you can have one other household visit indoors regardless of vaccination status.

How will outdoor dining and drinking work?

There will be no time limit for outdoor service, but customers will have to vacate the premises by 11.30pm.

Table service only is allowed, and there must be 1metre between each group. A maximum of six adults and teenagers can sit at one table, along with up to nine children under the age of 12. It means up to 15 people will be allowed a family table.

Groups are not allowed to book multiple tables to circumvent these headcounts.

To reduce the risk of spreading droplets through shouting, neither live nor loud music will be allowed.

Masks are to be worn when circulating around the outdoor dining areas or when using indoor facilities.

The “substantial meal” rule has been abandoned this time around, so pubs that do not serve food are also allowed to reopen their outdoor sections.

What will I be able to do in the gym?

A key component of the reopened fitness sector will be that indoor facilities are for “individual training purposes” only.

The Department of Sport said one-to-one training between a participant and a coach is permitted, but group exercise classes are off-limits. Ireland Active guidelines state that participants should pre-book facilities and arrive ready to train.

Two-metre social distancing should be maintained during workouts, and users should “be encouraged to shower at home”.

Operators should encourage swimmers to shower only to quickly wash the chlorine off, the association says.

Saunas, steam rooms and spa facilities are permitted to open along with the centre, but capacity should be limited, such as to one user or one family group or household. Ireland Active warns that steam rooms operate at a far lower temperature than saunas, so they are not warm enough to affect the lifecycle of the coronavirus and are a “potential source of contamination”.

The GAA is advising its club or county-owned gyms to remain closed unless being used on an individual basis by players on a county panel.

What changes will there be for amateur sports?

Competitive and challenge games at all levels are permitted to take place, with 100 spectators allowed to attend matches provided there is enough ground space. The GAA is advising players to arrive ready to play as dressing rooms must remain closed.

The return to formal organised competition applies to all sports, with golf and tennis clubs entitled to hold outdoor championships once again.

Indoor coaching can resume on a singles basis only and indoor tennis courts can reopen for casual singles play or doubles where partners are from the same household, according to Tennis Ireland.

And what’s happening for learner drivers?

There will be a gradual reopening of in-person driver theory test centres from June 7th. The Road Safety Authority’s (RSA’s) 40 centres will reopen with capacity gradually increasing to accommodate 25,000 driver theory exams per month, an increase of 10,000 on its pre-Covid test levels. The additional capacity is being made in light of the backlog of 120,000 customers booked to take their test.

Driving tests for essential workers will continue to be the priority as the RSA attempts to clear the huge backlog caused by the pandemic restrictions.