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THERE HAS BEEN widespread condemnation of the Government’s announcement that indoor dining and drinking will be postponed due to concerns over the Delta variant of Covid.
Earlier today, Micheál Martin said indoor hospitality is to be delayed until at least 19 July when the government will propose a plan for how the reopening will take place.
NPHET also said in its advice to government that indoor dining could initially return for fully vaccinated persons only before a wider reopening at a later point.
Pubs and restaurants across the country had been banking on the 5 July being the day their doors reopened. The latest delay has been severely criticised by businesses already struggling with the closures.
Retail Excellence said that the Government’s decision to postpone the reopening of indoor dining was a “hammer-blow” for the hospitality sector.
Retail Excellence, which also represents over 300 cafes and coffee-shops throughout the country, said that the decision would have a significant knock-on effect for the retail industry in Ireland and that it was “extremely unhelpful” that the Government had not given a timeframe for the delay.
Fergal Doyle of Retail Excellence, said: “This delay is a hammer-blow for the hospitality industry in Ireland and will have significant ramifications for business owners and staff around the country.
“We understand that this is a tough decision for the Government to have to make, but this does not lessen the impact on business owners who are fighting for their survival after a terrible year and it is extremely unhelpful that we do not have a timeframe for a reopening plan.”
“The hospitality and retail industries are dependent on each other in many respects, and this decision will have a huge knock-on effect on retailers while coffee-shops and cafes in particular are unable to operate indoors. This must be the very last delay for a beleaguered industry that will need major support from the Government in the coming months.”
Ireland the outlier
Drinks Ireland said today’s decision makes Ireland an outlier – the only nation in Europe not to have indoor dining.
From 2 July, when Greece opens indoor hospitality, the UK and all other EU countries will allow dining and drinking inside venues with measures in place.
In the context of a need for clarity, Drinks Ireland highlighted the logistical operation that has taken place in recent weeks to get pubs ready for the 5 July date.
It takes five weeks to brew and deliver beer and an estimated 70,000 kegs of beer were produced.
It said that the recommendation of using Covid Certificates for vaccinated people, or people who have recovered from the infection, is a last-minute moving of the goalposts and something that should have been planned for months ago, if necessary.
Patricia Callan, Director of Drinks Ireland said: “We are disappointed by today’s announcement and the continued disruption to one of the worst-affected sectors in our economy.
“The default position to lock down or delay reopening of the hospitality sector, with very little notice, is no longer appropriate in the context of the vaccine roll-out and our position as a clear outlier in the EU. In the immediate term, we need an opening date from Government, that it sticks to, as well as clarity on the metrics to allow this to happen.”
Vaccinated – Unvaccinated
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) said it will reject any move to separate the vaccinated from the non-vaccinated, describing the suggestion as “ridiculous and unworkable”.
It also said that protests “must be on the cards”.
Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the LVA, said: “This latest suggestion from NPHET that pubs and restaurants should police who is and isn’t vaccinated is utterly ridiculous and unworkable.
“NPHET has lost the run of themselves and possibly the entire country this time.
“It is completely bizarre that they would introduce such a system this late and basically try to panic the entire country into accepting a process that would create a two-tier society.
“Does anyone in NPHET actually take into consideration the real-world implications of these outlandish ideas at all? We can’t take them seriously after this.”
The unexpected proposal has also caused unease over its legal aspects.
Fine Gael TD Colm Brophy said enforcing the system would be “extremely difficult”.
He told Today with Claire Byrne: “I have reservations and can really see the problems in trying to implement a system around people being vaccinated and not being vaccinated.
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Ireland is without a doubt the laughing stock of the world!!
I’m praying voters never forget this!
@Conor: not one for hyperbole obviously
@Conor: @Conor: You make it sound as if the rest of the world care what we do here, the truth is they couldn’t give a flying fúck!
@Conor: funny the sheep will still vote these grabbers back in
@Steve: though we used to have a few million foreign visitors every summer, but yeah what you said is relevant to that group now as they wants be coming.
@Conor: Who can we vote for,the opposition are just as bad as the government.
@Marty Lawless: where is the opposition,the government is useless,you can call people sheep but who is there to vote for,Mary Lou is the leader of the opposition,where is she.
@Daniel Roche: You have one good point in there, I heard she is getting splinters removed from sitting on the fence waiting to see what way the wind is blowing. After she sees that she will be out lambasting the government for doing exactly what she has called for i.e. following public health advice. In the meantime though, the silence is golden.
@Conor: if you want a laugh, take a look at the Australian strategy.
@Daniel Roche: we’ll none of the opposition have ever been in power and any small party that went in with FFG ever were destroyed BUT it’s not impossible to form a government without them!!
@frank_66:
World class epidemiology experts are on comments again…
@Steve: a lot of tourists give a very big f, a big enough f to cancelling trips cause of this decision, so ya the rest if the world does care, our tourist sector will take a long time to recover
That’s us off to Northern Ireland for the holiday. Cancelled a week in Wexford just now
@Locutus Of Borg: Cancelled mine to Cork. Looking to abroad now.
@Locutus Of Borg: if you stay in a hotel in the south you have full access to the facilities including the bar.
@Gareth Murran: They are too busy whingin to read the small print.
@Gareth Murran: Yeah and nothing outside the hotel unless you’re vaccinated. Two tier society. Guten tag, ihre papiere bitte!
@Charles McCarthy: what are you on about small print for being able to have a pint in the hotel bar. That’s been in place for weeks now…maybe you should be laying attention to normal print.
@Locutus Of Borg: I know of many couples planning on hitting Northern Ireland in next few weeks. The question now is how do we as a country take back control from nephet!
@Charles McCarthy: Dont be so silly.
@Locutus Of Borg: enjoy dodging parades for July
@Thomas Harrington: Will be well over. Going on 17th
Shocking call from the “government”. Do they know how many livelihoods are on the line, not to mention the amount of mental damage this is causing to people ???
@Barry Teehan: they do but they just don’t care
@Barry Teehan: it’s all low income jobs
Working class people
The government doesn’t care a Witt about working class people because they vote SF
@Barry Teehan: Of course they know about the livelihoods considering the massive payments being paid to those out of work and to businesses. How can anyone think it is in the government’s interest to keep hospitality or any sector closed? They have to follow public health advice, even most of the opposition agree with that.
@Barry Teehan: Ah sure young people can just stay on PUP and we’ll take them into the ground over the coming years while they struggle to pay rent or afford college, while the rich get richer.
@Barry Teehan:
Must be caring about people dying, how selfish
@Barry Teehan: just cause you can’t go to pub means you have mental damage
@Barry Teehan: A report was published today. It makes dreadful reading the rise in mental health issues since June last year.
@DK Innovation: you know people are dying from things other than covid?
@Pat Andrews: I was referring mainly to the owners, staff and suppliers etc. There are plenty of other things that are driving people who never go to the pub up the wall too.
“The hospitality sector is not happy.” I don’t blame them.
@Earth Traveller: Protests on the streets is the only answer to this Quango, it’s time to push back like the water meters
@Earth Traveller: only large organisations like centre parcs longford are happy with up to 2000ppl eat inside each night no temp checks etc just big money
@Paul O Neill: Be sure to protest without wearing a mask while you’re at it – it would be a shame if you were to be confused with someone of moderate intelligence.
@Terry Larkin: Are you saying people don’t have the right to protest or that people who protest (as is their right) are unintelligent?
Leo Varadkar said last week that the pandemic was over!
@Colette Kearns: Also was on about people returning to offices among other things. Wonder will he now retract his statements ?
He seems very quite today and last few days, the journal usually has a few ‘Leo says stuff’ articles every day, suppose he is hiding now when its bad news.
@Colette Kearns: yeah he said yesterday that a delay wasn’t inevitable – varadkar only ever wants to talk when there is good news – useless at taking tough decisions – how come the NPHETs of every other EU country think its OK to keep indoor dining open and manage a health system – such nonsense
@Dave Hammond: I imagine they have proper experts on them.
I would say the quiet majority are fine with this decision as it is based on public health advice. We all know what happens in countries where such advice is not followed.
@Fionn Darland: valid yet forgotten point
@Fionn Darland: Agree.
@Fionn Darland: except loads of british tourists wondering round the town I live in. so say lots of stuff but dont follow up on it is this government’s mantra
@Fionn Darland: nope. Most are not. Denmark has a bigger population, similar vaccination rates and open pubs and restaurants with lower COVID cases through extremely thorough testing. There are other ways to do this. Our lot are to ignorant and/or lazy to do something like this. The last time we ignored public health advice was a disaster but we had nobody vaccinated then. We have 40% fully vaccinated now and have lots of 1st and 2nd doses to be delivered in the coming weeks closing out the oldest and most vulnerable groups. A two week delay wouldn’t be the worst thing but a two tier re-opening is unfair and unworkable.
@Fionn Darland: they should be more quite as the state broadcaster still gives them air time. Btw they not the majority judging by some polls I have seen.
@Fionn Darland: I agree that the majority see the logic in delaying indoor hospitality until the vaccination rollout is further along but the implementation is still an awful mess full of loopholes and inconsistencies.
The idea that an unvaccinated group cannot eat safely at a restaurant but can do the same thing in a hotel or at a wedding just makes a laughing stock of the restriction.
It feels like they’re throwing at a dartboard to decide what gets restricted and what doesn’t, there’s little coherency to their strategy which leads to frustration and a deep sense of injustice and inequality among the public.
Kim Jong holohan is out of control.
@Aidan Long: he has one job to do and he is doing it. Its FG and FF who are too spineless to make their own decisions. Micheàl Martin is an absolute disaster of a Taoiseach.
A lot of negativity about this. Seems to me it’s better to keep things as they are for another few weeks than risk another full lockdown until next year.
@Dick Nagle: how would we have a full lockdown next year if everybody is vaccinated?
@Dick Nagle: They’ve probably done worse than doing nothing by increasing wedding party sizes and asking unvaccinated hospitality staff to serve vaccinated people indoors with no real reliable way to verify who’s actually vaccinated.
Those things will inevitably spread the variant further and make a re-opening less likely in 3 weeks time than it is now.
The people who don’t give a damn about the virus have further license to party while the rest of suffer. As usual.
@Dick Nagle: The schools are open, most people are going back to working in person (look at the M50, N7, etc.), people can attend a wedding, a cinema, a hotel restaurant, a flight, but can’t dine inside? How the hell is that going to lead to COVID deaths when the rest of Europe has been doing it for weeks?
I think there will be a significant backlash against this Government in the upcoming Dublin Bay South By-Election as a result of this retrograde announcement today.
@Thomas O’Connor: I doubt it.
I’ve week off in 3 weeks. Baker in retail industry. So now I’ll b giving my € to the £ up north. Prices too expensive here
The elephant in the room is the dysfunctional health service where a winter flu is enough to over run it, 100000 children on waiting lists, total overhaul of the Health Service and get rid of consultants who won’t adapt to facilitate a one tier system
Outside dining doesn’t help border towns… and there’s been little to no help from the government so far. Hospitality needs a July and August to pay for the Oct and Nov.. who’s going to help pay those bills??
Such a weak government (mathematically on the Dail floor). Coming back to bite us now.
@HonDeDeise: as much as I agree about the government. What exactly is the opposition opinions on all this, don’t hear any of them coming out against Nphet as of yet. Have you?
The tail is well and truly wagging the dog! This government has no ability to see the bigger picture and make a decision for themselves.
“Wider reopening at a later point” is most likely next Spring if the Gamma variant isn’t here
FF just signed their own death warrant at lunchtime today
@Sean Treacy: I doubt there’s room for a signature on it at this stage. They will be wiped out next time up.
@Col de Gal: they should have been
wiped out forever 12 year’s ago
Can someone tell me for a country that copies the uk in almost every faecet of life and takes its orders from the EU that somehow on this issue its medical expert Dr Tony knows more than all the other European countries medical experts who have indoor dining available to them for weeks now, Il await the 100s of replies with a good answer, we are an absolute embarrassing country even more so than before
@Hugo Bugo: you need to look into the indoor dining rules in those other countries. To my knowledge, in most of them, you need proof of vaccination
@Hugo Bugo: Also, concerning the UK, taking their lead would not be advisable… several countries have banned non essential travel from the UK and only yesterday, Portugal are now enforcing a 2 week quarantine on arrivals from the UK. Imagine turning up for your week off in Portugal only to find you get to stay an extra week, but both in quarantine!
@Hugo Bugo: There is only one answer…..years of mismanagement in the health system by sucessive governments who are still in power.
Both parties are so terrified of the fallout from the hospitals being totally overwhelmed that they will throw anyone to the wolves, god forbid the hospitals are overwhelmed and FF FG won’t see power for years.
They fear the straw that finally breaks the camals back and nothing else.
The big elephant in the room is 100 years of lazy governments.
Afraid of the influx from Britain, they can’t go anywhere else except Ireland.
@Breda Kelly: they are already here loads of uk reg cars around where I live
@Breda Kelly: watched BBC news and loads of countries still have no restrictions on brits.
@Breda Kelly: they can they have been coming to Spain for the last few weeks in their droves
How are people not revolting against this lunacy
@Rata Tuohy: and what have you done to revolt? Apart from leaving a comment on the journal. ?
@Pádraigín O’Sirideáin: I actually went 6km when it was only 5km
They knew how to charge before the pandemic. I hope they realise how important customers after we hopefully return to normal.
What a disgusting shower of muppets i hope everyone in the country remember this at the next election
@Margaret Kane: Problem is SF is hiding under their beds when we need them
@Paul O Neill: Government make the decisions, not opposition. No point SF giving out as it will change feck all
@Shaun Gallagher: really? Because that certainly doesn’t and has never stoped them giving out and moaning about literally every other subject bar this one?
It is a bit rich heading this ‘last minute’ when the Government brought forward the timing of decision. As for the LVA complaining about policing the clientele for covid safe customers I think they have always had to police their customers for age, behaviour and for amount of drink taken. That is what they undertake as part of their licence to profit from selling alcohol. If they don’t like the conditions they are free to take up alternative means of work.
Let’s see how these covid restrictions worshipers say when the average worker getting €450 a week loses €50 a week in additional taxes next year to pay for these continued restrictions, tourism in Ireland has and will continue to collapse, hospitality sector on the floor, tell me how much the members of nphet have lost from their salary this year or next year, it’s very easy make these life changing decisions when they only affect other people
Proper order I say old chap. I have had both vaccinations and therefore don’t see why my membership should sullied by the great unvaccinated. Away from thee, peasant!
I should like to dine alone tooooonite to savour the warmth of my superior position, status in life. Ugh!
It’s time for every restaurant and bar etc to open up on the 5th July as planned and defy this clueless and spineless government
Once more a joke of a country. Lets hope the country remembers this in the next general election and dare I say it vote for Sinn Féin i thought id never say this I’m strongly thinking of giving my no 1 to S. F.
@postmanbill:
What’s the SF stance on what to do differently, to what Government is now at in defending the citizens, keeping us all safe against a fourth spike, via the vicious Delta strain?
Vaccination rates will accelerate now that Pharmacies are also involved. Only another few weeks and things should be back to normal, hopefully.
Definitely worth the wait!
ACHTUNG, ihre papiere bitte!
No appetite for a fourth “big” party in Ireland, so let’s just keep voting for the big three. What could go wrong?…. Oh…… Wait….
Whilst I understand that timelines may need to change due to new variants, etc, but that is no reason not to make decisions early enough to allow for adequate planning, in this case the impact of the Delta variant was obvious weeks ago from the UK and their having to delay their own reopening, nor to have adequate contingency planning. Only opening for fully vaccinated was always a possibility and could have been prepped for months ago so businesses could have procedures ready to go.
Dear journal, was it my use of the word dictatorship to describe our government that got my comment deleted? Or the fact that we have been in lock down in various guises since March 2020 to flatten the curve? And that the curve is now flattened as is the country? Or was it my comment that some people are so so happy with the crumbs of freedom the dictatorship bestows on them?
I really feel sorry for the bars and restaurants. We all love a beer & food.
But I also was counting on July 5th, I teach World Taekwondo Classes full time for over 28 years. Closed since March 14th 2020, I only get the €350 which I’m grateful for as it’s paying my mortgage but getting nothing else except my Closed business.
What difference does it make if I’m in a room full of unvaccinated people?Just let people make their own minds up .Money spinner coming down the line folks
Well I’m looking foreword to a long weekend in Galway city. We can eat and drink in the residents bar. Roll on July
Problem SF will destroy FF in the long term.
And when our pension funds go we can blame FF.
The shocking state of of health care infrastructure is the real reason to halt the opening up of society
From a government that couldn’t care less about putting affordable roofs over peoples heads, I doubt they care if people lose their jobs .
have your say