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The new guidelines for the operation of so-called “wet bars” contain few, if any, new restrictions on their operation compared to bars serving food.
The guidelines, which have been seen by The Irish Times, stipulate that physical distance can be relaxed to one meter in a controlled environment, but no prior reservation and time-limited spaces will be required if a physical distance of two can be maintained. meters. .
A copy of the draft notice shows that patrons must leave a wet bar before 11:30 p.m. M., which means that night bars and nightclubs will likely remain closed even if the government allows a more extensive operation of pubs without food.
Extensive rules on cleaning and sanitizing are included, as well as tips on how to limit interactions within a bar and the use of electronic menus, phone apps, and menu boards as an alternative to using drink menus.
The capacity of the outdoor smoking area should be reviewed and modified if necessary, reducing the number of seats to ensure “appropriate physical distance measures”, while customers “should remain seated and order from their seat.”
To facilitate contact tracing, the name and phone number of a person in a group should be taken and kept for 28 days. Meanwhile, the straws need to be individually wrapped and there are strict guidelines for preparing fruit toppings used in beverages.
Customers should be able to enter and exit through separate doors, when possible, with the doors open if fire regulations allow. Online booking options are recommended, “as this will not only communicate new procedures and practices, but will also limit the requirement to queue.”
The government expects to reopen all bars by mid-month, amid continued criticism from winegrower groups about the impact of the forced closure of wet bars on commerce.
Pub groups warmly welcomed the draft guidelines. Padraig Cribben, executive director of the Irish Vintners’ Federation, said there should be a level playing field between the regulations governing wet bars and those serving food.
“We are very clear about one thing; there has been enough government sponsored apartheid in the pubs, ”he said. He said the sector had been “guided by the garden path” on reopening dates on three occasions, emphasizing that they should be allowed to open as soon as possible.
Donal O’Keeffe, executive director of the Licensed Vintners Association, said the new guidelines still represent a “great restriction” on the normal ways of doing business. “Not being able to use the bar is a very important restriction for wet pubs and having table service only changes the dynamic.”
He expressed concern about compliance costs in a context of very low turnover at reopening pubs, and said he felt more financial support for the sector would be “inevitable”.
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