Irish bars and restaurants resume indoor service

Indoor hospitality has opened up again in the Republic.

Drinkers and diners, including those from Northern Ireland, must now show proof they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 180 days.

For most of those living in the Republic, this will be done through the EU’s Digital Covid Cert with its QR codes and Every adult must also bring along official identification such as a driving licence.

Many pubs, especially those that do not serve food, have been closed since March 2020.

As the industry gets ready for reopening, customers have been reminded of the new guidelines.

Every adult must also bring along official identification such as a driving licence with a photo.

The president of the Restaurant Association of Ireland, Mark McGowan, said it was his understanding that the Northern Ireland vaccination card will be accepted as proof of immunity at venues in the Republic.

‘Proof of immunity’

“Once valid proof of immunity is shown at the door along with photographic evidence, that will be sufficient. It has to be an official id and official vaccination cert. We want tourists from the north coming down”.

The lead person at a table or a solo customer will be asked to give his or her name for contact-tracing purposes.

However, not all pubs and restaurants are opening and some owners told the BBC they have not been given enough time to hire and acquaint staff with the new guidelines.

County Donegal publican Kevin Kavanagh said: “I am not fully vaccinated myself, my sister and a few other staff are not fully vaccinated, so we just cannot take the chance.

“Early Saturday morning, about 1 o’clock I got an email with the guidelines set out. It is more or less impossible for us to open. Our government, I think have let us down again”.

At present 83% of adults in the Republic have been partially vaccinated and over 68% fully vaccinated.

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