Coronavirus in Ireland: Food and Alcohol Lovers Flock North, But Shoppers Stay Home

BUYERS in the Republic of Ireland are following Tier 3 guidelines for staying home, but food and alcohol lovers have flocked to the North.

Newry’s retail mecca, Co Down, has seen footfalls from the south plummet since county boundary restrictions were put in place, according to store bosses.

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But pint and food punters are up to 80 percent of the habit in some of the city’s pubs, businesses that are just as disappointed north of the border as they are south as they prepare to close.

The Brass Monkey has seen an increase in southern punters traveling to Newry for a pint in recent weeks, as the Republic moved to Level 3 earlier in the month.

Level 3 resulted in the closure of many bars south of the border, despite the fact that hundreds of bars had just reopened for the first time in six months.

Now that Northern Ireland bars are also affected by a closure order, manager Ross Martin criticized authorities for “targeting” the bar industry.

The Brass Monkey manager believes that all bars “deserve” to operate after “taking all precautions” recommended by government and public health officials.

‘TERRIBLE STRESS’

While lowering the shutters for the next four weeks, Ross spoke of the “terrible stress” the staff endured.

And the bar boss admitted he is concerned the four-week shutdown could be extended in the run-up to the crucial Christmas period.

He said: “We’ve had a lot of customer support, but we don’t know what’s next.

“Last week, 80 percent of our trade has been from the south. That’s a small increase: 80% from southern trade. We are losing that, we are losing local commerce.

“The government has treated us quite badly. They didn’t give us much guidance on this, and just to get slapped overnight without an actual lockdown period, two days is not a long time to figure it out. “

But while pubs have been able to fall back on southern custom, retailers have seen a business drop.

Retail in Northern Ireland can still operate under the new restrictions with some cross-border shoppers looking for Christmas gifts.

CROSS-BORDER TRADE

But shopping malls in Newry also told how they have also noticed a drop in influx.

Peter Murray, manager of the Buttercrane Mall, told the Irish Sun: “Southern commerce varies from time to time.

“Normally it is around 15 to 20 percent of our business.

“The travel restrictions have been in place since the Republic entered Level 3, which was a fortnight ago.

“We have seen cross-border trade drop. Some people have complied with the regulations imposed by the guards.

“We have noticed a drop in cross border trade in the last two weeks because of that.

“But it’s important for people to stay safe and follow the guidelines that exist, and we all get through this, and we’re better for it.

“We will see everyone on the other side, hopefully before Christmas.”

THE TRADE HAS BEEN ‘DISCONNECTED’

A Newry store manager told the Irish Sun how cross-border trade has “slowed down” since Tier 3 restrictions were introduced in the Republic earlier this month.

He said: “There were a lot of people coming from the south to get their Christmas presents early.

“There were a lot of southern buyers when it was announced that Tier 3 was being introduced in the south.

“There was a rush then, we noticed an increase in the numbers, you can see the rules.

“They got the presents early, the toys and the like.

“But since Level 3 was introduced, you can definitely detect a reduction in the southern rules. That trade is down for us. I assume that most are complying with the restrictions to stay in their own locations.

“Our local business is still stable enough, but you can see from the roads and parking lots that the standards in the south are low.”

LEVEL 4

Troubled pubs, restaurants and cafes in Northern Ireland will only be able to offer takeaway and home delivery services for four weeks from tonight.

The Irish government has also moved the border counties of Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan to Level 4 as of midnight, with the rest of the Republic poised for a similar crackdown.

The level 4 lockdown introduces tough new restrictions, with the closure of non-essential retail stores, including “personal services” such as barbers, hairdressers and estheticians.

The strict set of measures was introduced as Covid-19 continues to spiral out of control on the island, with record daily cases recorded on both sides of the border.

In a message to buyers in the Republic, Buttercrane boss Peter added: “Take care, we’ll see you all as soon as we can. We will be here, we will not go anywhere. “

The three border counties of Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan will remain under Level 4 restrictions until November 10, with the rest of the Republic fearing going from Level 3 to Level 4 in the coming days.

‘FINAL NAIL’ RESTRICTIONS FOR COMPANIES

In Donegal, companies called the latest restrictions “the last nail for many” and some said they were being “punished” by the high virus rates in Northern Ireland.

Neil Barrett, the owner of Fithub in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, recounted how he felt “deflated” and “very confused” in the Level 4 ad.

Barrett added: “There just isn’t much consistency with the recommendations that we’re hearing.”

Karen Conroy, owner of Vibes Hair Salon in Co Cavan, spoke of similar emotions.

She said, “Deflated, totally deflated. . . It is difficult, it comes at a time when we are recovering and after all the work we have done to operate in a safe environment.

“And I feel like we are operating in a very, very safe environment. We just have to close our doors again, and it’s devastating.

“It comes at a time when all this talk took place yesterday, like all the Christmas stock, our Christmas games, our power tools that we are going to sell for Christmas. . . They were all walking through the door yesterday when we received this news and now we are not open to sell them.

“We have a website, but not many salons have that option.

“It’s going to be very, very difficult.”

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