There won’t be any more late nights out this summer.

While the Government has advised Ireland’s embattled cafés and restaurants to close the doors by 11pm, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is recommending a 10.30pm cut-off for sit-in diners, although takeaway and delivery can continue after customers have left.

The decision has been described as “a body blow to the restaurant sector” by the Restaurants Association of Ireland, whose chief executive Adrian Cummins said the move will drive people to impromptu house parties.

Either way, all customers must be off the premises by 11pm, scrapping any hope of a sneaky cocktail after dinner.

In a letter to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, which was published today, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned that NPHET has “significant and growing concerns” in relation to the rising number of coronavirus cases recorded in the past week.

The majority (73%) of new confirmed cases in the past seven days in people under 45.

Now restaurants and cafés, which have been allowed to open since June 29th, have been told to tighten up their opening hours as NPHET demands “strict adherence to the detail and spirit of the guidelines currently in place”.

Booze and social distancing don’t mix – NPHET

As outlined in yesterday’s announcement on the postponement of Phase Four of the Government’s plan for reopening Ireland, the experts believe that pubs and bars “pose a particular risk to the spread of Covid-19″ because alcohol consumption can hamper social distancing and hygiene efforts.

The team also outlined that “loud atmospheres can increase particles emitted and many pubs/bars can be small spaces with poor ventilation.

“Internationally, there have been a number of examples of outbreaks in bars,” Dr Glynn continued.

“The risks associated with pub/bars are even further heightened in nightclub type environments, which by their very nature are not intended to be seated environments where people can maintain two-metre physical distance. Given the significant risk of infection spread and the evidence of outbreaks associated with these settings in other countries, it is recommended that nightclubs, discotheques and casinos are to remain closed until at least August 31st, 2020.”