Finally.
According to Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan, grandparents who have had both shots of their COVID-19 vaccinations are now able to safely hug their grandchildren again – more than a year after it was advised that they stopped doing so in order to stay safe and curb the spread of the virus.
From next week, Dr Holohan said, the reunion of family members from different generations can take place – and this is no doubt happy news to both grandchildren and grandparents everywhere.
This will be a huge relief to the cohort of people who have been told to 'stay at home' for the last year and "who shouldered the burden" of the public health restrictions, the Chief Medical Officer added.
The 'vaccine bonus' also takes effect with fully vaccinated people allowed to meet unvaccinated people from one household indoors.
Anne Dempsey from Third Age, an organisation that offers support to older people in Ireland, spoke to
Newstalk earlier this week, and explained how this is very uplifting news for those who have been cut off from family for so long.
"We have journeyed with people for the last 15 months now, right through from the huge shock at the beginning to people getting very worried, very anxious, very insecure and very alone," she said.
"Things are opening up again and people are going to be able to have contact. The whole grandchildren thing is absolutely huge, even though our callers would be people on their own and sometimes they don't have families, an awful lot of our callers do have grandchildren and it's been huge, that sense of touch, we've been denied it for so long."
As well as the vaccine bonus for those over 60, next week will also see us being allowed to travel outside our counties for the first time since the start of the new year. Hairdressers, barbers, museums and libraries will open, and 50 people will able to attend weddings and funerals.
