The draft guidelines for pubs - as in, pubs that don't serve food (we're not calling them wet pubs) - have been published.
Per reports by the Irish Mirror and Virgin Media, the guidelines are set to form the basis of how the government will allow pubs to reopen. So far, no specific date has been set although rumours persist that it will be before the end of this month.
As well as keeping contact details of every person in the pub, no more than six people are allowed at any one table - with those six people coming from no more than three households. As well as this, only table service is allowed with no ordering from the counter.
Furthermore, the guidelines also state that there is a strict closing time of 11.30PM and a time-limit of 1 hour, 45 minutes at tables where there is a distance of less than 1 metre between the next one. If, however, the tables have a 2 metre distance, no time limit is to be enforced.
As well as this, the use of cash has been discouraged and staff are required to face coverings at all times unless protective screens are in place. Not only that, but the overall amount of seating in a pub is also to be reduced. Generally speaking, the guidelines appear to be similar to pubs that have opened with food service, but with more specificity in time limits for non-distanced tables.
As mentioned, it's not yet known when the pubs will reopen in Ireland, nor is it clear if these guidelines will come into effect when they do. A significant majority of pubs have been closed in Ireland for the past 25 weeks, with no clear idea of when or how they would reopen.
So far, the VFI and LVI have not commented on the government's proposed guidelines.
