Radical measures proposed in Ireland to allow pubs to reopen earlier

As things stand in Ireland, and perhaps a sign of things to come in the UK – the Irish government has set out a phased reopening of businesses, with pubs set to be allowed to reopen in the final fifth phase (which would be August 10th at the earliest).

We expect Boris Johnson will follow suit with a similar ‘phased’ reopening plan when he makes his speech to the country on Sunday evening – setting out his plans to exit the lockdown.

Irish pub representatives Licensed Vintners’ Association (LVA) and the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) have joined together, to lobby the government to allow pubs to reopen earlier, in line with cafes and restaurants in phase three, from June 29th.

The radical measured proposed are:

• Dispense-only bars, with no sitting, standing, ordering, payment or drinking at the bar itself.
• Customers will be seated at tables at all times, with table service provided.
• No more than four people per every 10 square metres; a maximum of six people allowed at one table;
• Hand sanitiser used before entry, with staff washing hands every half hour;
• Outdoor spaces must “enhance” social distancing;
• No live music or DJ and the safe use of toilets, which may include limits on the number of customers using them at one time.

The LVA and VFI believe that pubs should be able to open as long as they adhere strictly to these guidelines.

“We don’t believe it is in any way appropriate that the Government should apply one rule for some hospitality businesses and another rule for others,” said Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the LVA.

He said that trading will be “extremely difficult” under these new guidelines and that the pub “experience” will drastically change.

Whilst the ideas sound plausible for some pubs in principle, in reality most pubs would probably struggle to trade profitably with such restrictions imposed. By their very nature, pubs are a social environment, and it would be unreasonable to expect pub staff to be able to effectively police the measures.

It’s worth noting that the pub ownership structure is also very different in Ireland, with the majority owned by individuals and families. This makes the idea of opening with a reduced trade more plausible than in the majority of cases in the UK.

So it looks likely that our pubs will be closed for some time yet, and we should learn more from the government over the weekend.