TWO-METRE RULE TO BE SCRAPPED FOR PUB-GOERS

Publicans welcome ‘game-changer’ if virus rate stays low

CABINET Ministers confirmed last night that the two-metre social distancing requirement will be relaxed for the hospitality sector next month if the infection rate of Covid-19 remains low.

Ministers said they expect a reduction from two metres to 1.5 metres, or even one metre, by July if the National Public Health Emergency Team gives the

go-ahead. A Cabinet source told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘NPHET have told the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to specifically look at the social-distancing requirement for the hospitality sector.

‘The big caveat is that the virus stays low. If it stays high, there will be no wriggle room. If it stays low, there will be wriggle room on the two metres.

‘If the rate stays low, the distancing will be reduced.’

Pubs are now due to reopen on June 29, but only if they serve food.

However, the distance will not be reduced in schools, sources conceded.

Sources suggested that the advice was changing because adults could be better trusted to practice public health advice.

Fresh moves are in place to find a solution to the return-toschool issue, which is likely to continue to be an issue of controversy.

It comes as it was announced last night that another nine people with Covid-19 have died, bringing the total deaths to 1,678 in Ireland.

Another 24 cases were confirmed yesterday, bringing the total to 25,183.

Reacting to the expected change last night, bar owners and restaurateurs called the move a ‘game-changer’.

Kevin Barden, owner of O’Donoghue’s pub on Dublin’s Merrion Row said: ‘We have no plans to reopen as yet. We are waiting for guidance from the Government to decide when and how we reopen.’

As the acceleration of the roadmap was announced, the Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan announced that new specific public health advice would be issued in the coming days for the hospitality sector.

Previously vintners spoke out about the need for a change to the current social-distancing restrictions to ensure the viability of the Irish pub.

‘Pubs will need time to adapt their premises to address the guidance, so we are eagerly awaiting the advice to come from NPHET,’ said Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the Licensed Vintners Association after the announcement on Friday.

‘As our recent capacity report showed, utilising the World Health Organization (WHO) social-distancing guidance of one metre will make a substantial difference to business viability and we hope that will be addressed in the hospitality sector guidanice.’

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization changed its guidance on the use of facemasks and now recommends, on the basis of new research, their use in public places to better prevent virus transmission.

Writing in this newspaper today, retired genetics Professor David McConnell warns that the country’s existing testing and tracing capacity is not where it needs to be to ensure that any resurgence of the virus could be tackled before it got out of hand.

‘If it stays low, there will be wriggle room’