All pubs could be allowed to reopen by the middle of this month, with Government discussions underway on the issue.
The move would coincide with the release of the Government's new long-term strategy for dealing with Covid-19 on September 14th.
The Government is now finalising a new set of guidelines to be shared with publicans’ organisations in the coming days and it is understood that the reopening of "wet" pubs would be subject to strict regulation and inspection, according to the Irish Times.
CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association, Donal O'Keefe, said it was important that there would be no confusion over the rules when they do reopen: “All hospitality businesses, whether they are pubs, restaurants or hotels, should face the same guidelines, the same restrictions, and have the same opportunity to trade.
"So a critical issue for us now is that wet pubs do not face any additional restrictions. They should face the same guidelines as pubs that serve food, and hotels and restaurants."
Rogue operators
Drafts of the Department of Health’s long-term plan for "living" with Covid-19 have now been circulated causing intense discussion, with some sources believing it is overly-restrictive.
It is understood that the plan will change the relationship between the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) and the Government, with more collaboration and communication between the two sides on public health measures.
Senior figures in the Government are keen to get away from the model where Nphet is seen as making public health recommendations and the Government is then watering them down.
Meanwhile the Taoiseach has said that new rules requiring pubs and restaurants to keep a record of food orders for 28 days will protect law-abiding businesses.
Responding to recent criticism surrounding new laws requiring pubs and restaurants to keep individual details of food consumption, Mr Martin said it was “overstating it” to claim it was a communications calamity.
“The Government has no interest in knowing what people are eating,” he said, adding that the regulations had been designed to deal with rogue operators who were serving drink but not food.
