Ireland delays return of indoor hospitality - and will limit it to those who've had COVID or been jabbed

Ireland delays return of indoor hospitality – and will limit it to those who’ve had COVID or been jabbed

Jun 29, 2021

Ireland is to restrict indoor hospitality to those who are fully vaccinated or who have previously been infected with COVID-19, the country’s prime minister has announced.

Micheal Martin confirmed the planned reopening of indoor eating and drinking due to take place next week will be postponed until a new system of vaccine certification has been implemented.

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“A return to other indoor activities, including hospitality, will be delayed … given the increased transmissibility for the Delta variant,” he said.

The prime minister added the safest way to proceed with a return to indoor hospitality is to limit access to those who have been fully vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19.

Ireland would be one of the first places in Europe to introduce such a measure.

However, the number of guests who can attend weddings will be increased to 50 as planned from 5 July.

Numbers permitted at outdoor events will also increase, to a maximum of 200 attendees for most stadia, and to 500 for those with capacity greater than 5,000 – with appropriate protective measures.

The government says there should be no limit on the numbers of people that can visit together once they are all fully protected by vaccination or have had COVID in the previous nine months.

Bars, restaurants, and cafes have been closed in Ireland for much of the past 16 months, with the latest national lockdown in place since late December.

Outdoor dining and drinking has been allowed since 7 June.

Chief executive of The Restaurants Association of Ireland, Adrian Cummins, told Sky News: “It’s a dark time for our industry, there is a lot of uncertainty and we are trying to get thousands of workers back to work again and we don’t know what our government has planned for us in the future.

“We haven’t got enough support, we need double the amount of support to keep us going through the summer season.

“We want to sit down with the government and have a package of support that keeps our businesses afloat – we are nearly 500 days closed for some businesses, since March last year.

“This suggestion about having vaccinated people enter into indoor dining is not workable by hospitality professionals… it is discriminatory and it will divide families, it will divide communities and loved ones as well.”

Ireland is due to adopt a COVID-19 certificate to help citizens move more freely across the EU, and also apply broadly the same approach to arrivals from the US and Britain, from 19 July.

By 5 August, 100 people are expected to be allowed to attend indoor events, with 200 attending in larger venues and the 50% capacity restriction on public transport is due to be lifted.

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