Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, we must be careful of pre-empting the outcome of the discussions between the hospitality sector and the Government and conflating the two issues in terms of travel and the digital Covid certificate. The latter has taken considerable work and has presented many challenges given the various sources of information – vaccination, disease recovery and PCR testing, which are three aspects of the travel certificate. That said, we are on track in terms of bringing that in for the 19th in line with the European Union framework for travel.

Up to recently, the Government position was we did not want to utilise vaccination certificates for access purposes to domestic facilities or amenities. The NPHET advice has been clear in respect of indoor hospitality and indoor dining. Its belief is that fully vaccinated people or those who have recovered from Covid represent the best and safest way of facilitating the reopening.

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