Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I should point out that the time limit of 105 minutes, or just under two hours, applies only indoors and only when the tables are not more than 2 m apart, so if the tables are more than 2 m apart, there is no such time limit. The reason for it is that if people spend more than two hours in each other's presence in the same room, they are considered to be close contacts, and it is to avoid an entire dining room or an entire restaurant being deemed close contacts.

The guidelines that came out the other day are more liberal than what we had in December or in August and September. They are not the final word on this and they can be reviewed again in a few weeks' time. The Deputy should bear in mind that hotel restaurants, at least indoors, are only open to residents and they are not open to people coming in from outside. They may need to be aligned if we allow that.

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