Wetherspoon boss urges indoor pub reopening 'without delay' 

Tim Martin said the Government should allow for a full reopening immediately, citing growing momentum in the vaccine rollout programme and no examples of widespread Covid transmission when they were previously open

JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has called for a reopening of pubs and restaurants in Ireland "without delay".

The boss of pub group JD Wetherspoon has called for a full reopening of Ireland’s pubs and restaurants “without delay”, citing growing momentum in the vaccine rollout programme and no examples of widespread Covid transmission when they were previously open.

Tim Martin said he fully expects a bounce in customer demand when Ireland's pubs reopen for outdoor trade on June 7 – as has been seen upon reopening in the UK – but said the Government should allow for a full reopening immediately, rather than opting to wait until a later date to allow a return to indoor dining and drinking.