Ireland may not drop all COVID-19 restrictions next week, ministers say

FILE PHOTO: A shuttered pub called Reilly's is seen closed due to Government restrictions around coronavirus, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Dublin, Ireland, September 3, 2020. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland raised doubts over its plans to drop almost all COVID-19 restrictions next week due to a rise in cases, with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe saying a full return of office workers was now unlikely.

Ireland has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world with 92% of adults fully protected but also one of the highest infection rates in Europe with around 400 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days.