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Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that pubs will likely remain closed for months to come as infection rates remain high in Ireland.
The current level of restrictions will see some changes on March 5, but the strict nature of these measures will likely remain the same after this date.
When Ireland will return to normal has yet to be mentioned and with cases still high, this is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Speaking on Tuesday, he said; “Right now I don’t have an appointment (to reopen) to be honest with you.”
The Taoiseach said that a “critical mass of the population” will need to be vaccinated before the restrictions can ease.
Government officials have continually insisted that they will take a much more conservative approach to Ireland’s exit from current measures to ensure there are no future spikes in cases.
Mr. Martin said, “We will evolve from this; we will feel more comfortable and confident as we vaccinate the population.”
Speaking about when the hospitality industry could reopen, watching thousands return to work, the taoiseach said “if we’ve learned anything, the virus and hospitality are too compatible.”
However, he also said that the government “equally recognizes that there are thousands and thousands of jobs that depend on (hotels and tourism). “
Ireland’s bars and pubs reopened for the last time after similar lockdown measures on June 29.
The number of new cases reported that week, nationwide, was just 74.
Meanwhile, over the past seven days, 6,224 cases have been reported, so if that’s something to go through, it could be months before pubs and bars welcome customers.
Once we get to that point, Micheál Martin said: “We are going to have to help the hospitality industry reboot and reboot.
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“We will have to look for new initiatives to help the hotel sector as it emerges from Covid-19 because it has suffered more than most.”
In the meantime, people must be sure that the Pandemic Unemployment Pay will remain in place and that the government will not “pull the rug on any of those supports, there will not be a gulf in relation to supports ranging from pandemic support to unemployment to others “.
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