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AROUND TWO-THIRDS (65%) of pubs outside Dublin that are still closed believe they’ll go out of business by January 2021, based on current conditions.
Just over one in five (22%) believe they’ll survive for at least a year according to the survey published this morning by the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI).
The pub trade has said that around 3,500 pubs around the country remain closed due to the current public health guidelines on Covid-19, with the government expected to announce this week if pubs can reopen on 31 August.
However, due to rising cases of the coronavirus, re-opening dates for pubs have already been put back and publicans fear that it could be some time before they’re permitted to re-open.
The pubs that have been permitted to re-open since 29 June must serve a “substantial meal” to customers, and must strictly adhere to guidelines around time limits and social distancing.
According to the VFI survey, which included responses from 1,539 publicans, most in the industry believe that the end of August re-opening date will be delayed for a third time by government.
The vast majority (95%) say they need grant aid from the government for each week they remain closed for their pub to survive.
Nearly half (48%) say they’ve accrued debts of over €16,000 since the crisis began, while 19% say they’ve built up debts of over €30,000.
A further 82% no longer support the government while 96% believe the government has no plan that will allow non-food pubs to re-open while the crisis persists.
VFI chief executive Padraig Cribben said: “They feel like they have been cast adrift with no support and only shallow declarations of ‘sympathy’. There is little expectation that the government will allow these pubs to reopen next week.
So the question is what are they going to do for these pubs who are being deprived from opening their doors by government order. If they are being asked, as the government has put it, to “make national sacrifice” then the government must have a plan that recognises that sacrifice and allows these businesses to survive.
The issue of pubs re-opening will be discussed at Cabinet and it is expected a decision will be announced before the weekend.
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Ok there’s a few errors here. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. But stood in Chicago for election. Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. Joan Cusack was born in New York but raised in Evanston, Illinois and her brother, John, was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. Seriously, who does your research for these articles? Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago though if you want to to run with that.
Can’t argue much of that! Although Evanston is more a less Chicago, just a suburb of Chicago, but that aside. BILL MURRAY!!! was also from there. Billy fecking Murray, how could you leave that man off any list. Wouldn’t wish Gary, Indiana on my worst enemy, horrendous place.
You could have give us Home Alone, Kenan & Kel, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Married with Children, Al Capone, Steve Carell, Cindy Crawford, Walt Disney or Michael Flatley but you decided to give us the Cusacks :(
They could even have said Kanye West.
@Eugene Molloy: If it has not clicked yet, I think the Cusack connection is about the Irishness of it all…….
@William Kavanagh: The Irishness of Deep Dish pizza, Chewing gum, House music and Jackson must be at a stretch then, probably like the Tom Cruise connection
Smashing Pumpkins
Goose Island beer!
@The Magnificent Wat a band. Siamese Dream still in my top 5 albums of all time.
@Eugene Molloy: Cusack…. I said Cusack…. And Cruise is Irish, the church of scientology ordered it and held a shotgun to my head while typing this.
@Jonny. Absolutely rockin!
Michael Jackson was born in Gary Indiana
Micheal Jackson is from Gary Indiana
Deep dish pizzas are just wrong.
and Fall Out Boy guys.
And radioactive man
They can hold on to the deep-pan pizza. It’s like a mix of pizza and apple tart. Brutal!
Wrigleys did not invent chewing gum. They weren’t even the first manufacturers in the States.
Michael Jackson is not from Chicago. Barack Obama is also not from Chicago. Do you people do any research before you vomit this stuff all over your screen?
How on earth did BILL MURRAY!!! not get on that list, from a suburb of Chicago but Chicago all the same. Chicago Bulls of the 90′s were pretty spectacular too and not to mention The Blues Brothers, The Chicago Outfit, run by non other them Al Capone. Someone half asleep doing this one!
The blues brothers
The Blues Brothers! Shiiiit! They still owe you money fool!
Broad shoulders and excellent chop houses
Dion O’Bannon
have your say