Government ministers back reopening of restaurants and pubs serving food despite NPHET advice

Government ministers support the reopening of hospitality in the next 10 days.

And the Cabinet plans to allow the families of three homes to come together for Christmas Day.

But this will have to be done in the face of stiff resistance from the nation’s top medical advisers at NPHET, who ominously warned tonight that “meetings spread the virus.”

They have warned that the government cannot have both, presenting the government with the impossible choice of whether families can reunite or pubs and restaurants can reopen.

However, the High Street shops will reopen starting next Wednesday morning, along with hair salons, barbers, gyms, golf clubs and other outdoor entertainment.

The final decision on the closing elevator will be made after a special full Cabinet meeting that is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Restaurants and pubs that serve food have been prepared to reopen next Friday or the following Monday.

But they have been told to push the message of personal responsibility by celebrating if they are allowed to open their doors.

A government source said: “They will have to redouble their efforts to spread the message, they run safe and controlled environments.”

Reopening would go against strong advice from NPHET, which is against shutting the shutters open at all.

The country’s top doctors delivered a letter to the cabinet subcommittee on Covid tonight, recommending that all restaurants, gastropubs and wet pubs remain closed for Christmas, except for take-out and home delivery service.

However, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green’s partners in government are preparing to go ahead with the opening of all restaurants and gastropubs next weekend.

This will be just a couple of days after High Street and most stores reopen on Wednesday.

The Cabinet will meet at lunch today for one of its most important meetings since the pandemic began nearly nine months ago.

A central high-level source in the negotiations between the government and NPHET told the Irish Mirror: “The ministers want to reopen, but they must respect the views of NPHET at the same time.

“There is nothing easy about that, but the mood is that we have to have a Christmas of some description.

“That wouldn’t happen if we went with everything that NPHET says.”

NPHET has said that as of December 21, six people from three households could visit if the hospitality sector remained primarily closed.

It is understood that Dr. Holohan also recommended that only two households be allowed to mingle once the Level Five lockdown is lifted next week.

A source told the Mirror that both cannot be done safely and that there are concerns about the reopening of the hotel sector.

They said: “The advice should not come as a surprise.

“Once people get together, there will be transmission of the virus.

“Alcohol also plays an important role, it decreases people’s adherence to social distancing.”

It is understood that nursing home visits would be allowed, but should only be one visit per week.

It is also understood that concerns were also raised about crowds at religious services and shopping malls.

In the meantime, families shouldn’t hug each other when they get together on Christmas, said a source close to NPHET.

The advice comes as 335 other people have been infected with Covid-19 and another three have died.

Last night, a source from NPHET told the Irish Mirror that families should avoid hugging.

The source said: “The advice is to keep your distance and reduce your contacts.

“This is hard to accept but sadly it works.”