Pubs and restaurants await details on reopening with guidelines due in next 24 hours
Full guidelines for reopening the hospitality sector are expected to be announced in the next 24 hours.
Fáilte Ireland is clarifying details on physical distancing and proposed time limits for punters with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).
It comes in response to criticism from publicans, many of whom felt they were being left in the dark by the 'drip-feed' of information in recent days.
Pubs which serve food are permitted to open on June 29, though the guidelines under which they will operate have yet to be published. Reports suggest they will only be permitted to open if they serve meals costing at least €9.
The two-metre physical distancing rule may also be relaxed to one metre if people pre-book slots and leave after 90 minutes.
A joint statement issued by the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said the limited information released is "sowing confusion throughout the industry, creating more questions than answers" and undermining efforts to reopen.
The representative groups said questions have to be answered about how long these measures will be required and if they will be lifted on July 20 when all pubs are permitted to reopen, not just those that serve food. It also asked what contact tracing measures will be required of pubs, and why Fáilte Ireland didn't publish guidelines for pubs at the same time as the rest of the hospitality sector.
Donall O'Keeffe, LVA chief executive, said pubs which are planning to reopen on Monday week have no clarity as to what they are required to do.
"These businesses need time to get their premises ready, to ensure their pubs are fully compliant while offering a safe and comfortable environment for their customers and staff," he said.
Padraig Cribben, VFI chief executive added the absence of full guidelines will "hamper the efforts of pubs getting ready to reopen".
"This has been a very uncertain time for the industry and instead of having a clear understanding of what will be required we’re left with a lot more questions than answers. It’s almost as if the guidelines are a puzzle which publicans have to try to piece together," he said.
Tara Kenny, hospitality development manager of Fáilte Ireland, told RTÉ radio's News at One that it is clarifying details of the plan with the HPSC. This includes advocating for a two-hour minimum, not 90 minutes, and seeking clarity over PPE for staff.
When asked who would police the new guidelines, Ms Kerry said Fáilte Ireland was also seeking clarity on this, but she believed business owners would self-police and the public would honour the guidelines.
Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the Restaurants Association said reducing two-metre distance to one would be "a game-changer" for the sector and provide "a lot of confidence" for businesses.
Mr Cummins has advocated for the physical distance to be reduced in line with steps taken in other countries, such as Denmark, to secure the future of the industry.
Extending the duration of a pub visit from 90 minutes to two hours would be "a huge thing for us", he added.
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