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The reopening of restaurants and gastronomic pubs has been called into question after the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) raised concerns about the government’s plans to reopen the hotel industry.
In a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, Nphet has made recommendations that are understood to clash with plans to allow restaurants and pubs serving food to open before Christmas.
The government had planned to allow the reopening of restaurants and pubs with kitchens in the second phase of the exit closure in December.
However, several high-level government sources have said that the group led by medical director Tony Holohan has expressed serious concerns about allowing the hotel industry to reopen for fear that it will lead to an increase in new Covid-19 cases. .
A source pointed to Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel decided yesterday to extend the ban on opening restaurants and pubs until the New Year.
“Hospitality will always be a concern of Nphet,” added the source. Another source who confirmed that the center of Nphet’s concerns was the plan to reopen the hotel industry.
Ongoing talks within the government this week saw ministers planning to reopen restaurants and gastropubs in the second week of December.
Pubs will need to have a kitchen and chef on site to provide meals. The goal of the new regulations was to clamp down on pubs serving sandwiches and baked pizzas to avoid the € 9 substantial meal rule for serving alcohol.
Pubs have also allowed customers to order food from other local businesses to circumvent the rules.
Ministers did not expect to allow the dank pubs to reopen before Christmas. The wet pubs only reopened outside of Dublin earlier this year for a brief period before the second closure.
The Cabinet Committee on Covid-19 will meet this afternoon to discuss Nphet’s advice and a series of data collected on behalf of the Department of the Taoiseach by EY auditors.
The Covid-19 Oversight Group led by Taoiseach Department Secretary General Martin Fraser will also meet.
The Cabinet will make a final decision on the reopening of the country tomorrow afternoon. The meeting is scheduled for 1 pm and Taoiseach Micheál Martin is expected to address the nation on Friday evening.
Online editors
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