Frustration and anger as restrictions hit hospitality sector

Fri, 17 Dec, 2021 - 19:55

Sean Murray and Ellen O'Regan

A mixture of despair, frustration, and anger has engulfed the hospitality industry once more as it again faces into restrictions that could put jobs and businesses at risk.

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland said what the Government announced is a “devastating blow” and an 8pm curfew is a “defacto lockdown”.

“Government must implement an emergency hospitality support package,” he said.

The Vintners Federation of Ireland called the move the “final gut punch for the sector”.

Its chief executive Padraig Cribben said: “The reality is this decision will decimate the trade that was already on its knees.

Christmas was the one chance we had to recoup some of the losses amassed earlier in the year but we’re now in a situation where staff will lose their jobs and pubs will shut one week before Christmas as they see little point in opening under these conditions.

He added: “Our members are left wondering what the plan is for hospitality. These restrictions are meant to be lifted at the end of January but there is literally no guarantee this will happen.

"Publicans and their staff are trapped by the Government’s inability to plan a pathway out of the crisis that doesn’t involve lockdowns.”

The Licenced Vintners Association, which represents Dublin pubs, called the 8pm curfew “closure in camouflage”.

Its CEO Donall O’Keeffe said: “Most of our members will now take the decision to shut their doors as they simply won’t be able to afford operating in these conditions.

""Many pubs have been expressing the view that they would rather be asked to close than have to accept an arbitrary curfew of 5pm or 8pm.

“Obviously though that would then represent an official lockdown of our sector and for some reason neither Nphet nor the Government are willing to be upfront about what this means.”

Paul Montgomery, who owns a number of pubs in Cork City, including Atlas on Marlboro St and Kings and Clancy’s on Princes St said: "It just makes no sense to me whatsoever.

"What it really means for us is most of our staff will be laid off and will be back on PUP which is going to cause a lot of anxiety and grief for everyone and obviously huge loss of income for business.

"Probably it's going to stress test our venues to a place that we don’t want to go.

Our accountants are in here today at the moment and we’re just trying to figure out how we're going to survive into 2022 because there’s no real supports there.

On the streets of Cork City, there was a mixed reaction to the restrictions.

Declan O’Neill from Monkstown said: "They should have some restrictions [for hospitality] but they should extend it on to 9 o'clock at night or something like that.

"I appreciate where they are coming from as well but I mean whatever they [the Government] do they get paid, they will have money in their account on the last Thursday of every month regardless.

"Businesses and people have family and Christmas coming up, and mortgages and everything else, and things are not getting cheaper."

Eibhlin Ní Lionáird, Ballyvourney, Co Cork.

Eibhlín Ní Lionáird, a nurse from Ballyvourney, said: "We are in a sense luckier this year than last year.

"We had no vaccinations this time last year so I say anybody who hasn't had their vaccination just consider it for everybody’s sake.

"Maybe when the kids are off now for the fortnight we might see numbers going down and I suppose maybe that's why they want to bring in the restrictions to give it a chance to reduce."