The Taoiseach has told a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that the National Public Health Emergency Team may soon draw a distinction between mandatory mask wearing and public health advice.
Micheál Martin was speaking ahead of a NPHET meeting today, where the requirement to wear masks in certain settings will be examined.
There is a clear sense politically that the laws underpinning the wearing of masks will soon lapse. They could be replaced by health advice about the benefits of continuing to wear masks in retail settings and possibly on public transport.
However, the lifting of the requirement to wear masks in schools is seen as quite likely by politicians. Senior Coalition figures have indicated privately that there feeling within Government is "generally positive" in terms of the disease trajectory.