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Calls have been made to reopen the country’s pubs to avoid more shocking scenes of crowds of people drinking in the street.
Images surfaced this morning of hundreds of people showing little regard for social distancing while filling drink cans and take-out pints from South William Street.
Dozens of people gathered in front of Grogan’s, which was destroyed by litter strewn outside the facility and the walls that were used as a toilet by late-night revelers.
The bar has been closed since March and has not offered takeaway service. The bar’s spokesman, Daniel Smith, told Dublin Live that they were furious to find the place in a “disgraceful state” this morning.
He said, “We haven’t put a penny in the box since March 14, so it was very upsetting to see what happened last night.
“We had similar issues over the summer and we had to go out and say we weren’t doing takeout because we were a little upset on social media from the crowd gathering outside the pub.
“It’s not new to us, but the state of the place this morning and some nights over the past two weeks pushed us to the limit and we think this has to end.”
The embarrassing scenes couldn’t have come at a worse time for distressed publicans who hope to find out soon if they can reopen their doors.
“Cases are down quite a bit, which is great, but people see them drop and think they will stay low regardless of what they do.
“But invariably these actions, unfortunately with the virus, could well have consequences and it is at a very delicate time, in addition to the decision to reopen pubs is made in the next 10 days, we really do not need this setback for the industry.”
Daniel said he believes that if the pubs had been open, scenes like the one last night and the ones seen last week at Blackrock, where drinkers were cramming the streets, they wouldn’t be happening.
“We know that if we had been open last night, scenes like that would never have happened. People would have been sitting here in a controlled way.
“We’ve spent thousands of dollars here trying to get it right. We have always had a tight business anyway. There would never be any hassle. Not having a chance is so upsetting.”
And he added that there could be worse scenes in the lead up to Christmas if the pubs remain closed.
“What happened last night until December cannot be allowed to happen. That’s mid-November. Imagine Christmas week if venues are not open but pubs are still open for take out. You’ll see it everywhere in the city.”
A garda spokesperson said Dublin Live officers attended the scene on South William Street last night to disperse the crowd.
He said: “Gardai maintained a presence in the area. No breaches of regulations were detected.
“Several patrols were carried out in the area during the course of the night.
“The Minister of Health signed the Health Act of 1947 (Section 31A-Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Amendment) (No.8) Regulations of 2020 in accordance with the Health (Preservation and protection and other emergency measures of public interest) Law 2020 that entered into force on 10/22/2020.
“In supporting COVID-19 public health guidelines and regulations, An Garda Síochána has adopted and will continue to adopt a graduated police response based on its tradition of consent policing.
“This has seen Garda members participate, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce.
“The COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health crisis and An Garda Síochána continues to call on all citizens to comply with the Public Health Guidelines and Regulations, in particular essential travel, in order to continue saving lives “.
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