Coronavirus in Ireland: New legislation ‘paves the way’ for wet pubs to reopen, Justice Minister says

NEW legislation “potentially paves the way” for wet pubs to reopen with additional guidelines for bartenders, the justice minister said.

Helen McEntee said the government does not have a timeline for when pubs that do not serve food will be able to open their doors, but the new laws to be introduced will be a step towards reopening.

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The Oireachtas is moving quickly to push for tough new measures that give police the power to shut down rogue pubs that don’t serve food or maintain social distancing on the premises.

Under the law, gardai will be able to issue a compliance notice to a bar owner asking him to address any issues there.

The cops will have the option of closing the bar for one day and, if the place does not close, the bar owners will face a fine of up to 2,500 euros or a six-month prison term.

Gardai will also be able to petition the District Court for an Emergency Closing Order, which could close a pub for up to 30 days.

COMMITMENT FIRST

Speaking on RTE’s Today with Claire Byrne, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that gardai will always try to interact with publicans before sanctions are applied.

He said the laws will also give gardai clearer guidelines on how to approach a venue that does not comply with Covid-19 public health rules.

Ms McEntee said: “What I think is important about this legislation is that it potentially paves the way for wet pubs, as they are known, to open up.

“This is something we’ve been looking at because right now you have to serve a substantial meal and not all pubs can do that, not all pubs want to do that, it’s not the space they have been working in for many years.

“What this can allow, and I hope it will and obviously we don’t have a deadline for the opening of other pubs, but there are new measures alongside this legislation that will provide further guidance to gardai as to what needs to be done. in pubs.

ALLANA THE WAY

He said the service will be different from what it used to be, but the measures will make it easier for the government to reopen pubs.

Ms McEntee said, “So now it’s not just the substantial food, now you have to cover the faces of the people who work there, be it a visor or a mask.

“People will have to be seated at a table and there will be table service.

“Within the group there has to be a leading person who gives his name and contact information and there has to be social distancing.

“If you are in a normal pub where food is not served, implementing these measures will allow and pave the way for many of our other pubs to open.”

Meanwhile, a TD from Cork has said that “sympathy is not going to pay the bills” as he called for “urgent action” to help get pubs reopened.

Independent TD Michael Collins asked the government last night to separate the reopening guidelines for pubs and nightclubs, saying it was a “major problem.”

The TD told RTE’s Prime Time that the two facilities are “totally different businesses” and should not be treated the same. “