Waiting for your local to reopen?

The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet today to discuss a number of issues, including the next phase of lifting coronavirus restrictions, but publicans might be forced to wait until Wednesday for clear guidance on the rules.

Ireland is now in Phase Three of the Roadmap for reopening society and business. Phase Four measures, scheduled to come into place on July 20th, will see pubs that don’t serve food, bars, hotel bars and casinos reopen.

Gatherings of up to 100 people indoors and 500 outdoors will be also be allowed in Phase Four.

However, with 11 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on Monday, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said that, although the number of patients in ICU beds is stable,  it is too early to greenlight the reopening of pubs.

Dr Glynn said the NPHET is “monitoring very closely” and will continue to do so throughout the week.

Cork publicans say they have been left in the dark, with Councillor Danny Collins urging Cork City Council to write to Taoiseach, Micheál Martin on the matter.

Pub owner Benny McCabe, who runs some of Cork’s most popular bars, also believes pubs are being unfairly placed in the firing line for blame, despite the rise in travel-related coronavirus cases in the Republic of Ireland.

“…you can’t have flights from Texas arrive and then blame the pubs and shut them down because we failed to secure the border.” he wrote in a Facebook post.