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Video footage of hundreds of people gathering on Dublin’s South William St on Saturday night has left a well-known local business owner angry that it has been forced to stay closed for eight months.
The images, which circulated widely on social media, show large crowds drinking on the downtown street and surrounding streets in an apparent violation of Covid-19 blocking rules.
Under the government’s Level 5 restrictions in place across the state, so-called “wet bars” that do not serve food can only offer a takeout or home delivery service. In Dublin, the “wet pubs” are completely closed.
the regulations also establish: “It is possible to meet with another household in an outdoor place other than a house or garden, such as a park, even for exercise. No other social or family gatherings should be held.”
Daniel Grogan of Grogan’s Pub on Castle St first relayed his concerns on Twitter Sunday morning. “Eight months closed yesterday. Nphet and the governor consider it unsafe to operate. Is this safer? ”He asked as he shared images of the crowds in the area.
Grogans Pub on South William Street, Dublin. File Photography: Bryan O’Brien
He said that his premises had been “in a shameful state this morning with tons of garbage and people using it as a toilet. We are furious this morning. “
When contacted by The Irish Times, Grogan said the images and trash left by the crowds had “pushed me to the limit.”
“I’m livid,” he continued. “We are all so fed up, we have been closed since March and we have not invested a penny in our until since then, as we have completely adhered to the rules.
8 months closed yesterday. Considered unsafe to operate by NPHET and the governor.
Is this safer?
Clearly, nearby properties don’t have to follow the rules. Our facilities are in a sorry state this morning with tons of garbage and people using them as toilets.
We are furious this morning. https://t.co/qLti0gPTKQ
– Grogans Castle Hall (@GrogansPub)
November 15, 2020
“But then you see pubs that sell take out pints and people who buy drinks without a license and come here. We had it in June and we have it again now, it has been happening enough. “
He said that “there were easily at least 400 people on the street. Where are the guards? Surely they knew that there was such a large congregation of people in the area? “
In response to inquiries from The Irish Times, a Garda spokesperson said it had responded to reports of crowds gathering and moved to control it.
“Gardaí attended the scene and asked all the people to disperse,” the spokesman said. “Gardaí maintained a presence in the area. No violations of the regulations were detected. Several patrols were carried out in the area during the night. “
The spokesperson said that in supporting Covid-19 public health guidelines and regulations, the Garda “has adopted and will continue to adopt a graduated police response based on its tradition of consent policing. This has seen Garda members participate, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce.
Grogan emphasized that he did not want to point the finger at any company, but emphasized that things would have to change. “I don’t want to burn anyone or any business and it has been a hard year for everyone, we all know it. But it’s too much, ”he said.
He told The Irish Times that several mornings in recent weeks he was left to clean up trash, urine and feces directly outside his pub and highlighted the impact such meetings would have on companies desperately hoping to reopen next month.
“I would be very concerned if Nphet and the government would see images like this and use them as a reason not to allow pubs to reopen even though we are a controlled environment and behave much more responsibly than this.”
Level 3
On Saturday, the innkeepers warned the government that they have no interest in opening their bars for Christmas if the state moves from restrictions from Level 5 to Level 3 in December.
Level 3 restricts restaurants, cafes and bars to takeaway and outdoor delivery and service to a maximum of 15 people only.
During the last level 3 closure in Dublin, non-food “wet pubs” were ordered to remain fully closed.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil on October 20 that the goal was to move to Level 3 restrictions statewide in early December from the current Level 5 restrictions. On Friday, Martin repeated that level 3 was still the target.
Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) Executive Director Padraig Cribben warned that Level 3 restrictions during Christmas would cause large numbers of people to cross the border into Northern Ireland to socialize under conditions where Covid rates -19 were “four times higher.” He said that therefore moving to the limits of Level 3 would be counterproductive, as those who crossed the border to socialize would bring the virus here.
When asked on RTÉ’s News at One program on Saturday about the reopening at Level 3, Cribben said: “No one has any interest at any time of the year, it is not feasible, it is not practical.” Regarding the prevailing weather at this time of year, he said, “If you look at a day like today, it’s just not on.”
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