Ireland’s pubs ‘to close for Christmas’ if unable to stay open in 2021, bosses warn

Ireland’s pubs will be closed for Christmas if they were to close again in the New Year, industry heads warned on Saturday.

The head of the Vintners Federation, Padraig Cribben, said it wouldn’t be worth it for bar owners to be open for just a few days during the holiday season.

He said: “There are costs that start and close. Nobody is interested in just two weeks at Christmas. “

The government has yet to say if drunks can reopen in the run-up to December 25.

The goal appears to be a rollback to Level 3 restrictions early next month, which would allow bars and restaurants to serve 15 people outdoors.

But vintners say it’s not worth opening under those restrictions and instead want a commitment to Tier 2 business guidelines.

Padraig Cribben, Executive Director of the Irish Vintners Federation, told RTE Radio One: “It’s not just about Christmas, I don’t think any tavern keeper is really interested in opening for two weeks at Christmas and closing again.

“Nobody has an interest (in that) at any time of the year, it is not viable, it is not practical.

“There has to be a plan for January and February.

“The business is such that there are costs to start, there are costs to close.

“No one is interested in just two weeks at Christmas.”

Ireland is more than halfway through the six weeks of level five restrictions imposed on October 22.

Cribben said people in border counties are likely to go north for a drink if pubs are open and stay closed here.

The number of cases in the north is four times higher than in the Republic, he said.

The government has said it will share its reopening plan at the end of the month.

Cribben said: “One thing we do know is that people are going to socialize during Christmas.

“The real question is, is it going to be at home in a private setting where there will be no masks, no social distancing, cross contamination, etc.

“Or in the controlled environment of a pub.”

Meanwhile, Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan warned that progress made in the past three weeks could be at risk.

The CMO’s comments came after the latest figures revealed six more deaths and 456 new cases.

Dr. Holohan said: “Analysis of today’s data shows that the five-day moving average of the number of cases has increased from 354 to 392.

“We have seen higher figures in recent days than we expected based on the encouraging trends of the last three weeks.

“We are concerned that this progress is at risk.

“We have to remember that the virus is still very active in the community and we cannot lose our guard.

“We all need to focus on what we can do to stop the spread of this disease.”

Of the new cases, 151 are in Dublin, 38 in Limerick and 27 in Cork, Donegal and Galway.

The remaining 186 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

A spokesperson for the Licensed Vintners Association, which represents Dublin’s pubs, echoed Cribben’s view.

He said the government is “continually kicking the can down the road” and must provide a plan.

A LVA spokesperson said: “It is affecting tens of thousands of workers.

“We have staff members asking if they can go back to work.

“You’re going to get into a really tough situation if you separate the wet pubs and the pubs that serve food.”

During the last Level Three restrictions in Dublin, non-food “wet pubs” were ordered to remain completely closed.

Mr Cribben added: “It has to be for all pubs, because there will be a demand there and the wider it is, the better.

“For those pubs that want to open, they should have the opportunity to do so.”

Taoiseach Michael Martin said a decision has not been made on whether the pubs will be allowed to reopen and cautioned that “not everyone will be in the whip for Christmas.”

As of 2 p.m. Saturday there were 254 COVID-19 patients in Irish hospitals, with 32 in intensive care.

The death toll from coronavirus in Ireland is 1,978.

The government has suggested that a vaccine could be available to the public in mid-2021.