ALL pubs have been ordered to close at midnight tonight (and house parties are banned too)
Cork was ahead of the curve.
As almost all Cork publicans chose to close their doors today to halt the spread of coronavirus in Ireland, the government has now ordered all public houses and bars (including hotel bars) to shut their doors until at least March 29th.
Restaurants and cafés can remain open for now.
In a statement issued this evening, the government revealed that the decision to close every pub in the country was made following discussions with the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the Licenced Vintners Federation.
We fully support this decision. We need national unity during this emergency https://t.co/FRXuadcWyM
— VFI (@VFIpubs) March 15, 2020
The public is also advised against organising or taking part in house parties and get-togethers that could put people at risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
All pubs & bars in Ireland will close tonight until 29th March. Difficult day for staff & businesses but right thing to do. Huge sacrifice being made by many who work in this sector so please let this be a sign to all about how seriously we must take this #CoronaVirus #COVID19
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 15, 2020
With 40 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland today and a total of 169 in the Republic, experts are expecting a “significant” surge in the number of patients presenting with coronavirus in the coming week.
