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The Irish Restaurant Association has said it is devastated and “hugely disappointed” by the expected Covid-19 restrictions that will be re-imposed on the sector before the New Year.
Adrian Cummins, executive director of the Restaurant Association, said the hospitality industry “is once again being the scapegoat” for signs that the restrictions could take effect shortly after Christmas.
Mr. Cummins also called for immediate dialogue with the government and the hospitality industry and clarity for business.
“This greatly destroys the soul of our industry. Hospitality is being a scapegoat. Our commitment shows that NPHET views hospitality differently from everyone else,” he stated.
He said the news that the hospitality industry may not be allowed to remain open as planned until early January “came as a total shock” to the industry and is “devastating for businesses.”
“We feel like we’re being scapegoats again, considering we’ve only been open for two weeks and there have been no Covid outbreaks in the hospitality industry in the past 14 days,” Cummings said on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne.
“And we have pointed out numerous times that if you close our industry you will increase house parties, and especially on New Year’s Eve,” he added.
He said the average company had between € 20,000 and € 30,000 in stock for the Christmas and New Year period.
Mr. Cummins called for a decision to be made quickly so that companies can plan.
The industry is “on a razor’s edge,” Cummins said, adding that many clients are already making cancellations for dates between December 28 and December 31.
Mark McGowan, president of the Irish Restaurant Association, said the expected new restrictions came as a “slap in the face” to the industry.
He said the industry is well-versed in addressing Covid-19 and has put additional practices in place to ensure highly controlled personnel establish a controlled environment.
The future is in doubt for many in the industry, he said, also expressing concern about long-term damage to the industry and the impact on employee skills.
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The government is likely to consider advancing the tightening of restrictions to December 28, 29 or 30.
Some restrictions have been relaxed as of today and would originally continue until January 6.
Employers group Ibec said the growing Covid-19 cases require “a proportionate and considerate response” from the government, but said it needs a few days to interact with companies before making any final decisions.
Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said that from what is happening in Europe, it is clear that the outbreak is very serious and “we have to control it” to avoid further restrictions in 2021.
Speaking in Morning Ireland, he said that “what we do now is ensure that the economy works as well as possible for most of 2021.”
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He said there is a disproportionate impact on the hotel sector and that people in the supply chain will have to keep in mind that restrictions are coming.
McCoy said that for those whose livelihoods are stretched a lot, there is little compensation for financial uncertainty and stress “but the hope is that the economy will rebound next year if we do it right and proportionally now” and help businesses to survive.
Hammer for hotel sector
Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, president of the Irish Hotel Federation, described the planned reduction in looser restrictions over the Christmas period as a hammer blow to the industry.
She said it amounted to a seismic change in original plans and that it would result in disruption not only for potential guests, but also for hotel staff.
“This will be the fourth time this year that someone has been asked not to return to work and that is very difficult to accept when so much effort has been made to create safe environments. Public health has always been our number one.” she said.
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Fitzgerald Kane rejected suggestions that hospitality environments were contributing to the spread of the virus.
“The last report from last week showed a case in a hotel. It is one more than we would like to have, but households represent 70% and we are less than a tenth of 1%,” he said.
It was unable to confirm whether hotels would reimburse guests who had booked during the first week of January if the new measures are introduced.
“We have to wait and see if it will definitely go into effect. And it depends on how much notice we have, sometimes the notice periods have been as short as six or 12 hours,” he said.
The IHF president said hotels have been seeing a lot of interest in hotel vouchers from the domestic market and an optimistic note sounded for 2021.
“This sends out a shock wave, but the time will certainly come and there will be brighter days ahead,” he added.
Meanwhile, Retail Excellence has said that allowing non-essential retailers to stay open in the event of stricter restrictions during the holiday period was the “sensible approach.”
Duncan Graham, managing director of Retail Excellence, said the retail industry had coped “extraordinarily well” with the demand for holiday shopping.
It was encouraging that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar indicated yesterday that non-essential retail would remain open in the event that more stringent restrictions are re-imposed in the coming days, Mr Graham said.
“So far, retail has proven to be a safe space for both employees and shoppers, and our members report widespread adherence to security guidelines,” he said.
But he also said that coffee shops should be classified as retail outlets and not be subject to closure in the event of stricter restrictions.
“Coffee shops are safe spaces and are an integral part of the shopping experience. They should be allowed to remain open even if more severe restrictions are re-imposed,” Graham said.
Pubs caught in cruel limbo – VFI
The Irish Vintners Federation has said pubs are at the mercy of government and NPHET decision making.
Padraig Cribben, VFI chief executive, said the latest announcement closes an “absolutely disastrous” year for the bar industry.
“While the vast majority of our members were never able to reopen in early December, the pubs that serve food had a chance to trade next year, but now it has been taken away.
“It is as clear as day that the industry needs a concise explanation – a roadmap – from the Government and NPHET detailing under what conditions all pubs will be allowed to reopen.
“Prolonged uncertainty has placed our members in the cruelest limbos where there is no clarity from decision makers about the future of trade,” he said.
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