Government may delay indoor dining to July 19, earliest
CEO of RAI, Adrian Cummins, said the Government should instruct Nphet to meet on Monday in order to give clarity to the hospitality sector regarding the reopening of indoor dining.
The re-opening of indoor hospitality could be delayed to at least July 19.
The Government is reportedly considering a delay of two to three weeks to the re-opening of pubs and restaurants for indoor service. They had been due to return on July 5. Hotels have been able to serve guests indoors since June 2.
The National Public Health and Emergency Team (Nphet) will meet within the next 48 hours to finalise its advice to the Government ahead of the next phase of the easing of restrictions. Cabinet is then expected to make a final call on whether to delay indoor dining by Wednesday at the latest.
It had been expected Nphet would not meet on the issue until Thursday with the Government to then make the final call on Friday, but there has been significant pressure from the hospitality industry to make the decision earlier.
It is understood the Government asked that Nphet give its data on the Delta variant sooner to help clarify the situation sooner for the 100,000 workers in hospitality who will be impacted by this week's decision.
Ireland will become an outlier in Europe from July 2 if the ban on indoor dining in bars and restaurants continues, Drinks Ireland have said.
The association says Greece is the only country in Europe, excluding Ireland, which has yet to reopen indoor hospitality and it is scheduled to reopen next week.
Two Government Senators have called on the Government to proceed with reopening indoor hospitality saying enough is enough.
Fianna Fáil Senators Pat Casey and Ollie Crowe said the Government needs to show respect to the hospitality industry.
The two men, who both work in hospitality, said the uncertainty of the past 16 months has had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of staff and business owners.
In a statement, they said it is "deeply unjust" to separate the hospitality sector from the rest of society and the economy.
“It is time to give people the choice and allow them to make their own personal decisions. Where is the vaccine bonus?
"If you are older and fully vaccinated – are you not safe to dine indoors in a controlled setting? When is our industry going to be treated with some respect?”
The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) has called on the Cabinet sub-committee to meet on Monday to discuss the issue.
The CEO of the RAI, Adrian Cummins, said the Government should instruct Nphet to meet on Monday in order to give clarity to the hospitality sector regarding the reopening of indoor dining. He said Wednesday was too late for the Government to make the final call.
Michelin star chef and restaurateur JP McMahon has said he doesn't believe a delay to the reopening of indoor hospitality will be down to the Delta variant, but due to "mismanagement" by the Government.
"It used to be about hospitalisations and it used to be about deaths.. the goalposts keep moving."
Speaking to Brendan O'Connor on the Galway restaurateur said he was sitting in a hotel in Galway beside English tourists who were dining indoors.
"We can't go to England, we can't eat indoors, but they can sit indoors in a hotel environment [in Ireland]?"
"It goes back to mismanagement, it goes back to why we never did anything properly, we didn't learn about quarantine or borders."
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