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Christmas parties in the office will be strictly prohibited under the proposed new rules for reopening restaurants and pubs.
A maximum of six people will be allowed to reserve a table in a restaurant or pub that serves food on their premises as of December 4.
But customers will be advised that they cannot reserve multiple tables to facilitate large parties or gatherings during the Christmas period.
Each person must also purchase a € 9 meal that is produced on site by the restaurant or pub.
In guidance given to ministers last week, senior civil officials specifically said that business-related meetings and events should not be allowed under the new rules.
They also said that workplaces must be informed that they cannot sponsor nights out as part of restrictions on restaurants and pubs.
The Senior Officials Group council said this includes office Christmas parties that may be planned for next month.
Organized meetings are not allowed under Level 3 of the Government’s plan to live with Covid-19.
Live or loud music should also be banned to decrease the chances of people raising their voices, which can cause the virus to spread more quickly.
On Friday, restaurants and pubs across the country will reopen for the first time in seven weeks.
The government overruled the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) to keep them closed during Christmas.
The group led by medical director Tony Holohan said they should remain closed to allow for more family gatherings around Christmas Day.
However, the Cabinet decided to open up the hospitality industry and allow social visits in family homes from December 18 to January 6.
People will also be allowed to travel outside of their own county during this period to see family and friends.
So-called wet pubs that don’t serve food should be closed at least until the new year.
Moreover, the Government has been recommended to extend international travel restrictions to children under the age of six.
Currently, children under the age of six are exempt from the travel restrictions.
However, the Senior Officials Group said it is concerned about the large number of children traveling with their families during Christmas to countries with high rates of Covid-19.
This means that all children will now have to comply with international travel restrictions, which means that they may have to restrict their movements for two weeks after returning to Ireland.
Under the EU traffic light system, people traveling from “orange” countries must submit a negative test three days before traveling to avoid the requirement to restrict movement for 15 days.
Those traveling from ‘red’ list countries must produce a negative test prior to arrival and restrict movements for five days after arrival.
If they can produce a negative test result from an Irish rater after five days, they will no longer have to restrict their movements.
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