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THE GOVERNMENT HAS clarified that the new midnight curfew for hospitality will apply to hotel residents bars – including for guests at weddings.
There had been some confusion over the measure.
Announcing a raft of new Covid measures on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told a press conference that residents of hotels would be exempt from the midnight closing time.
In response to a question from The Journal today the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media confirmed that the new regulations will affect weddings and any other events.
Residents bars must close at midnight for all guests, the Department said: “The clear policy intention is that all bars will close at midnight and that any and all activities associated with the bar would also cease.”
This week’s measures follow increasing concerns about the pressure being put on hospitals as a result of the spread of Covid-19 and less than a month after nightclubs had reopened following a 19-month closure.
Reacting to the news that pub opening hours are set to again be cut from tonight, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) said the move would have a significant impact on the recovery of their sector.
“Effectively this latest announcement means that the current government strategy isn’t working,” LVA CEO Donal O’Keeffe said yesterday.
He added: “It also needs to be acknowledged that every time the government flicks the switch on restrictions there are consequences for people’s livelihoods and the businesses that sustain those livelihoods. We will have enormous difficulty retaining our staff after this latest decision.”
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I suppose you could get married at 7am and have a good run at it before closing time
@Ger Buckley: you could be onto something here Ger. This could be the future.
@Ger Buckley: do we really need the dinner even..
@Itsonlyme: Are panto’s going ahead I wonder.
@Mick Andrews: not unless they’re c2 metres” behind you..
@l: the big wedding fry up, followed by a gallon of Heineken, it’s like the day after the wedding session on the day of the wedding
@Mick Andrews: Yeah, there’s one continuously going on in the Dail
@Simon Spellman: that’s the way they used to do it years ago. The couple got married early in the morning as they would have been fasting overnight to get communion, then the meal was called the wedding breakfast. Back to the 1950s I say!
@Ger Buckley: yeah why is it assumed your more likely to contact Covid after midnight
@Mary Garry: Probably lack of inhibition due to alcohol but according to the above we’ve figured out a way around that because we’re smrt.
It’s not a clarification, it’s a direct contradiction of what was said yesterday.
They’re making it up as they go along…
@John Duggan: Do you think so, John.
Joke of a country
@Lawrence Lynch: What would you advise, Larry?
@Lawrence Lynch: hate to say but a lock down has to happen, its that bad you cant get a self referal in dublin
@Garreth mc mahon: Why does it have to happen, is locking down the country and closing down viable businesses all these clowns know? Punish the unvaccinated, follow Austria’s lead, and if all else fails, then lock us down again. The government have admitted that over half of those in ICU are unvaccinated, and the other half have underlying conditions, so just constantly picking on pubs, clubs restaurants etc is not the answer.
@The Firestarter: un vaccinated, i have covid and i am vaccinated, i am dying in bed with headaches, chect infection, back aches sore head, high temp with shivers and i cant feel my legs and that 4 months into vaccination, also i got flu jab three weeks ago, all that seems futile now as this is the worst i have felt in many years and now my kids are off school. Unless pubs etc go back to table service and reduce sporting attendances, christmas will be gone again
@Garreth mc mahon: sorry to hear you are sick… but… you are at home. this is key. unvaccinated, you’d be in hospital most likely.
Circuit breaker
@Metaljester: Hasn’t worked before, so why would it work now? Lockdowns only work at the initial stages of an outbreak coupled without an outright ban on all cross-border movements of people.
Once tried and the resultant success level is achieved, you will never achieve the same success levels again with subsequent lockdowns. You reach a point of diminishing returns.
We should have encouraged natural spread during the summer months coupled with a very high vaccine rate. Allowing the vaccine to wane while slowly re-opening was our mistake.
@Metaljester: Fuse board.
Lead balloons in 3…2…1…
I see The George amended it’s opening hours: 14:00-00:00 lol
Cinderella season is upon us .
Here we go another lockdown just weeks away.
https://twitter.com/finegael/status/1460893041397538816?s=21
Posted 2 days ago where it says hotels are exempt??
So pubs close half an hour earlier on Fridays and Saturdays, big deal
Have another pint or infect someone,?
A bit of a no-brainer.
@John Byrne: mines a Guinness, bring a jameson with it sure
@John Byrne: good point, pints before midnight are completely safe. After midnight, they magically transform and become a way of spreading Covid.
@EvieXVI: It’s about the accumulation E. As you know folks inhibitions are reduced as they get drunker later on.
Just be happy the pubs are open at all.
Yes that is right after midnight the virus gets very aggressive. I still hear myself laughing at the tv when Leo announced that childeren do not get it or do not get it so quickly. I must be stupid not to understand it .
have your say