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The new guidelines for the operation of so-called “wet bars” contain few, if any, new restrictions on their operation compared to bars serving food.
The draft guidelines, which have been viewed by The Irish Times, stipulate that physical distance can be relaxed to 1m in a controlled environment, but no prior reservation and time-limited spaces will be required if a distance can be maintained. 2 m physics. .
The guidelines contain prescriptive advice on certain items, including that the straws should be individually wrapped, and the document advises that “the ornament or decoration of glasses [such as cocktail umbrellas] it should be minimized ”. There are strict guidelines for the preparation of beverages, including good hand hygiene “when fruit garnishes are required.” Garnishes should be refrigerated and covered, and served with tongs or a “should have its own container” spoon. New glasses must be used for each drink, which the staff “must take … by the foot or the base”.
The bar counter cannot be used to sit or serve customers.
Customers must leave a wet bar before 11:30 p.m. M., which means bars and nightclubs will likely remain closed even if the government allows a broader operation of pubs without food.
Extensive rules on cleaning and sanitizing are included, as well as tips on how to limit interactions within a bar and the use of electronic menus, phone apps, and menu boards as an alternative to using drink menus.
The capacity of the outdoor smoking area should be reviewed and modified if necessary, reducing the number of seats to ensure “appropriate physical distance measures”, while customers “should remain seated and order from their seat.”
Contact details
To facilitate contact tracing, the name and phone number of a person in a group should be taken and kept for 28 days. Customers should be able to enter and exit through separate doors, when possible, with the doors open if fire regulations allow. Online booking options are recommended, “as this will not only communicate new procedures and practices, but will also limit the requirement to queue.”
Prominent signage should explain physical distancing practices, and markers illustrating distancing should be posted “in all facilities.” The guidelines recommend that certain items should be cleaned after each use, including tables, stools, chairs, trays, pens, and other reusable items that customers come into contact with. Management is responsible for minimizing entry and exit points and managing physical distancing, rather than relying solely on signage.
The bars should be divided into different zones, which are assigned to different employees, in order to minimize movement between these areas.
The government expects to reopen all pubs by the middle of the month, amid continued criticism from industry lobbyists about the impact of the forced closure of wet bars on commerce.
Guarded welcome
Pub groups gave a cautious welcome to the draft guidelines. Pádraig Cribben, executive director of the Irish Vintners Federation, said there should be a level playing field between the regulations governing wet bars and those serving food.
“We are very clear on one thing: there has been enough government-sponsored apartheid in the pubs,” he said. He said the sector had been “guided by the garden path” on reopening dates three times, emphasizing that they should be allowed to open as soon as possible.
Donal O’Keeffe, executive director of the Licensed Vintners Association, said the new guidelines still represent a “great restriction” on normal ways of doing business. “Not being able to use the bar is a very important restriction for wet pubs and having table service only changes the dynamic.”
He expressed concern about compliance costs in a context of very low turnover at reopening pubs, and said he felt more financial support for the sector would be “inevitable”.
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