Ireland set to rapidly drop almost all COVID-19 restrictions

FILE PHOTO: Shoppers in the city centre wear face masks, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Dublin, Ireland, November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland looked set to rapidly unwind almost all COVID-19 restrictions with ministers due to meet on Friday to agree on a timetable after being given the all clear by public health officials.

Ireland had the second highest incidence rate of COVID-19 in Europe just last week but also one of the continent's highest uptake of booster vaccines, which has helped keep the number of seriously ill people well below the previous peak.