Dublin publicans in plea over opening dates

Publicans in Dublin have warned that bars in the Republic must be allowed to serve outdoors from May 24, to keep pace with the return of indoor hospitality in Northern Ireland.

The Licensed Vintners Association said a failure to open in line with Northern Ireland could see people in border counties crossing over to socialise.

Chief executive Donall O’Keeffe warned: “The Government risks being left behind by the public if it denies outdoor hospitality service resuming next month.

“The levels of outdoor socialising are going to rise either way in the coming weeks as the weather gets milder and the public health situation improves.

“Really the choice is whether to have increased levels of outdoor socialising take place in the controlled settings provided by hospitality or leave it unfettered and uncontrolled.

“Pubs and restaurants can offer managed outdoor spaces with social distancing and other public health protocols implemented.”

Tuesday, April 20 marked 400 consecutive days of closure for traditional pubs in Dublin.

Mr O’Keeffe, below, told Dublin Live: “It is widely acknowledged outdoor activities are relatively safe and given the expected progress of the vaccine rollout we believe the end of May would
represent a reasonable timeframe to permit this (outdoor hospitality) activity.

“That should be followed by indoor service resuming in June as more of the population is vaccinated and is in line with hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs reopening.

“The risk profile for indoor service is the same in all hospitality settings and we will not accept any move to prioritise the reopening of certain sections of hospitality over others.”

The Irish Government is expected to make an announcement on hospitality restrictions on April 29.