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A DUBLIN bar where staff caused outrage by disparaging public health standards could reopen under new government plans, while iconic pubs have to remain closed, it has been warned.
Hief executive of the Vintners Association license Donall O’Keeffe said the Berlin bar D2 could negotiate again next month because the food is served there.
He said “iconic pubs” like Grogans and O’Dohoghues would have to be closed in the run-up to Christmas under the proposals.
Mr. O’Keeffe criticized the proposals that are being considered by the Cabinet to keep pubs that do not serve food closed in December, while restaurants reopen.
O’Keeffe said media reports indicated the government was “preparing to punish” pubs that had been closed for eight months.
“How is it fair that the government seems determined to allow companies like Berlin D2 to do business, while keeping places that have been spotless during this crisis closed, like Grogans?” I ask.
Berlin D2 staff came under fire when images appeared on social media of a masked worker standing on a gun bar while being poured into customers’ mouths.
Owner Jay Bourke described the footage as “20 seconds of insane” and said it did not reflect what happened that day.
The Dame Lane bar in Dublin now faces a legal challenge from the gardaí for the renewal of its license.
The case is postponed until January because the district court hearings have been shortened due to Level 5 restrictions.
A Health and Quality Information Authority (HIQA) report showed no evidence that wet ‘pubs’ pose a greater risk than restaurants, according to the group of winegrowers.
“Berlin D2 operates under a restaurant license, which allowed it to reopen during the summer,” it said in a statement.
“Grogans, on the other hand, has been closed by government restrictions for 252 consecutive days since mid-March.”
Spokesman Jimmy Healy said that the 250 wet bars in Dublin haven’t been open a single day since March 15.
Wet pubs outside the capital had a brief two-week reopening in late September and early October before having to close again.
The organization said the guidelines for restaurants, food pubs and wet pubs recognize them all as “controlled environments,” with the same social distancing requirements.
Another group of publicans, the Irish Vintners Federation, said bars should have the same opportunity as other companies to allow staff to return to work next month.
It said in a statement that government data proves that private homes, and not hotel establishments, are the main source of Covid outbreaks.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said that all bars were given the option to reopen at the same time once the lockdown ended, he alleged.
“We also know that there is a pent-up lawsuit after a very difficult year,” said CEO Padraig Cribben.
“Allowing all pubs to open will spread demand across so many safe and controlled bars places as possible. “
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