This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Arriving for a Covid cabinet meeting to decide on NPHET recommendations were from top:  Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan.

Meanwhile, this afternoon

Via RTE

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced the latest Covid-19 restrictions saying there will be a delay to indoor hospitality beyond the planned 5 July date.

Mr Martin said that the reopening of indoor hospitality will be limited to those fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 infection

Mr Martin said that last night the Government was advised in very stark terms by public health officials that there is a real risk of spreading virus if reopening continues as planned on 5 July.

He said the Government has agreed to delay some elements of further reopenings.

The Taoiseach said the Government will find a workable approach and know the delay will be greeted by “dismay and frustration”, but the Government will provide additional supports in the coming weeks.

Taoiseach announces delay to indoor hospitality beyond 5 July (RTÉ)

Earlier: Needles To Say

Meanwhile…

RollingNews

Behold: a paper moon, a canvas Sun and cardboard clouds. Not really. To wit:

The featured picture of an orange coloured sky is real — a digital composite of two exposures of the solar eclipse that occurred earlier this month. The first exposure was taken with a regular telescope that captured an overexposed Sun and an underexposed Moon, while the second image was taken with a solar telescope that captured details of the chromosphere of the background Sun. The Sun’s canvas-like texture was brought up by imaging in a very specific shade of red emitted by hydrogen. Several prominences can be seen around the Sun’s edge. The image was captured just before sunset from Xilingol, Inner Mongolia, China. It’s also not make-believe to imagine that the Moon is made of dense rock, the Sun is made of hot gas, and clouds are made of floating droplets of water and ice.

(Image: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night)

apod

Gulp.

This afternoon.

Earlier…

This morning.

The Cabinet will meet later to consider a proposal to develop a system that would permit only those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to eat and drink inside bars and restaurants.

Via RTÉ:

This would mean that the reopening of indoor hospitality, planned for next Monday, would be delayed for several weeks to allow time for the system to be established.

The Cabinet Covid Committee met until well after 1am as it sought to formulate a recommendation for this morning’s meeting of Government.

If there is agreement at Cabinet today, the Government will aim to have a plan ready by mid-July that would lay the foundations for the return of indoor hospitality.

It would see fully vaccinated people getting clearance to spend time inside pubs and restaurants.

Cabinet to consider proposal to reopen indoor hospitality only for fully vaccinated (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Earlier…

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1.

Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara expands on ‘risks worth taking’.

https://vimeo.com/568430412

A mesmerising hovering drone time-lapse capturing the rhythms of sheep herding at Yokneam in Israel by photographer Lior Patel. To wit:

Vegetable farmer Michael Morgan, who’s referred to as the “king of cabbage,” and South Africa-born herder Keith Markov have managed the flock since 1985, and today it fluctuates between 1,000 and 1,750 individuals. Each year, the sheep migrate up to seven kilometres from the valley to the outskirts of Ramot Menashe with the help of shepherds Mustafa Tabash, Mahmoud Kaabiyah, Eyal Morgan, and Dan Goldfinger and a few border collies, which you can see circling the edges of the flock and rounding up stragglers.

colossal

Kate Cantwell, Managing Director of KC Peaches restaurants

This morning.

Ahead of a final cabinet decision which is expected to further delay the re-opening of indoor dining…

….Kate Cantwell, MD Of KC Peaches restaurant chain – one outlet  is completely closed while the remaining three are serving take-out options – said:

“For ourselves, we’ve brought back loads of staff, we’ve hired new people, we are getting them trained, everybody is super excited and it just incredibly deflating for all of our teams to now say we are going to be delayed by several weeks.

Ms Cantwell said that hotels have been able to operate indoor dining for several weeks and they had not seen a “spike in cases or in hospitalisations”.

“I don’t see why that would be put to restaurateurs when no-one else has had to do that, I don’t think it’s fair and I don’t think it makes sense either.”

Ms Cantwell said she also thought it would be unfair to ask “restaurants alone” to police vaccination certs.

Decision due on hospitality restrictions (RTÉ)

Pics: KC Peaches

Um.

Life’s a glitch.

Previously: I Can Explain

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