Let’s hope so.

A report in the Irish Examiner suggests that there has been no talk of a “winter lockdown” among those at Cabinet.

The next phase of Ireland’s reopening is set to be laid out in the coming week, depending on recommendations from NPHET. Today, the Irish Examiner reported that the key elements of the reopening roadmap will include:

• a return to school and college, with one-metre distancing between teachers and students
• the prioritisation of getting people back in the office, including changes to social distancing requirements
• a return to indoor sports and live music “well in advance of Christmas”
• a phasing out of Covid wage and business supports by next spring

Perhaps most importantly, however, is the assurance that a winter lockdown is not on the agenda, thanks to the success of Ireland’s vaccination programme.

Last winter, an attempted reopening in December was called off by Christmas Eve as Covid-19 cases began to spiral out of control — ultimately resulting in a near-total lockdown that would remain in place for the next five months.

As things stand, there are 60 people in Ireland receiving “critical care” for Covid, according to Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.