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The government is making the hospitality industry “pay for the sins of others,” the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) said on Friday.
The National Public Health Emergencies Team (NPHET) met on Thursday and recommended that Dublin move to Level 3 of the Government’s Living with Covid strategy. They have also recommended that pubs and restaurants serving food will only be allowed to open in the capital if they have facilities for al fresco dining or take-out services.
The Cabinet is meeting and is expected to approve the proposal to move the capital to Level 3.
Adrian Cummins, executive director of RAI said that “we are not the problem, the problem is in the homes.”
“This is effectively a hospitality lockdown,” Cummins told RTÉ Morning Ireland on Friday.
Cummins said the industry was shocked by the restrictions and there had been no consultation with the industry. “We had no indication of what the restrictions would be,” he said.
With winter approaching, the cookout proposal would mean nothing, he said, as the Irish hotel industry was not “ready” for such service.
“It’s about livelihoods. Businesses are now looking to banks for loans to repay, landlords looking for rent, and vendors looking to get paid. The industry is in crisis ”, he added.
“The government needs to take action and present an aid package if the restrictions come in tonight.”
Mr. Cummins said the hospitality industry wanted to do its part with regards to public health, but they felt the government was targeting the industry with the fewest cases.
“This will have huge ramifications for the industry,” he said.
Mr Cummins warned of job losses of between 30,000 and 50,000 in County Dublin, adding that “many small businesses will not recover.”
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