Michael Fisher
Representatives of the hospitality sector yesterday met government representatives to discuss Monday’s announcement by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin that the re-opening of restaurants for indoor dining and pubs that do not serve meals was being deferred (see separate report). The venues were due to open their doors to visitors next Monday.
The Restaurants Association of Ireland says the delay of possibly two weeks to re-opening indoors and allowing only vaccinated customers to dine is flawed, unworkable, discriminatory and currently illegal. It says the whole summer is now lost for thousands of businesses across the State.
An RAI statement said: “The Restaurants Association of Ireland is astounded at the Government’s decision to further delay the re-opening of indoor dining by two weeks for the remainder of hospitality, i.e. restaurants, cafés and gastropubs, whilst hotels and B&Bs have been open for almost a month.
The proposal to develop a system that would permit only those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to eat and drink inside bars and restaurants we believe to be discriminatory and unworkable. Ireland is not currently technologically ready to operate the EU approved Green Travel..
