The government is aiming to have over 60% of adults fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of July.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar’s admitted the target will be difficult to achieve – as around 20% have so far received both jabs.
More than 2.6 million doses have been administered to date.
Cliona O’Farrelly, an immunology professor at Trinity College Dublin, says the re-opening will need to be cautious because of new strains like the Indian variant, explaining that “To be sure that we’re all protected against the more infectious variant, we need the double jab. So it is hugely ambitious to try and get everyone fully vaccinated even by September, and that’s exactly why I think we should be careful about gatherings.”