‘Totally unworkable’ - Limerick publicans react to €9 meal and 90-minute rules

LIMERICK publicans have described as “totally unworkable” plans to limit the length of stay in the pub to a maximum of 90 minutes.

And they have called for a more “common sense approach” to guidelines for the reopening of pubs on June 29. 

Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to reduce social distancing to one metre if they limit patrons to just 90 minutes inside their premises. And in order to reopen on June 29 pubs must serve food “a main midday or evening meal” that costs at least €9.

“It’s totally unworkable, number one. I won’t be opening on June 29,” said Dave Hickey, proprietor of South's Bar in Limerick city.

“A substantial meal for €9? You’ll get no substantial meal for €9. I don’t know where they are coming up with them. And then you have to go and tell people that after 90 minutes they have to leave. You could be getting in some people 10 minutes later from another pub and they could be there for 90 minutes so I have a job then to see if that person is sober or not. It’s going to be very difficult.”

While Mr Hickey said he welcomes the change from two metres to one, “the problem with a pub is there is so much movement.

“People come in, they are going to the toilet, out for a smoke, to the shop next door or to the bookmakers. They are in and out. If there is a big sporting event on, it is going to be very hard to get people to sit down and be calm. There are going to be soccer and hurling matches back. Racing is back now. We are close to a bookmakers shop and people get very excited. It will take time to work itself out. If people work with us we’ll have no problem. Anybody opening on June 29, which is only a few days away, they still don’t know the proper rules until tomorrow. I’m going to wait until July 20 to open to get everything right.”

The new guidelines which came to light on Tuesday evening are understood to be contained in a draft document, Covid-19: Guidance for Food Service Businesses, which was drawn up by the HPSC following a request for further clarity from tourism agency, Fáilte Ireland.

Councillor Jerry O’Dea, who is the local Vintners Federation of Ireland spokesperson, and runs his family pub on Mulgrave Street in the city said the biggest problem so far “is there hasn’t been firm definite guidelines” ahead of the reopening of some pubs in 12 days time.

“We are hoping that will come tomorrow. We are expecting more clarity tomorrow. 

"To say that you can only meet for 90 minutes, what if somebody doesn’t want to be in a rush and doesn’t want to leave after 90 minutes, what’s the difference  - it doesn't seem to be based on science that 90 minutes is some kind of cut-off time. It’s going to be very hard to monitor and, to be honest, for many of our members it will be unworkable. 

“There is talk that you will have to book a table in advance and there will be table service only. If that’s only for the next three weeks then I think certain pubs will just have to live with that but after that on July 20 are you saying you will have to book a table in a pub? It’s all very unclear and we wish there was more detail.”

Mr O’Dea also highlighted the disappointment among publicans that many pubs have to wait a further three weeks after June 29 to open for business.

 “It seems very unfair that pubs that have the ability to social distance as required should be discriminated against based on the fact that they don’t serve food - it all seems very unfair in many respects. The pubs which don’t service food are expected to open three weeks later on July 20.

“Obviously public health is paramount in what we are trying to do but it does seem to be unfair and unusual to be saying one type of establishment can open and the other can’t simply based on whether they serve food or not.”

Mike Fitzgerald who runs a bar in Kilmallock, County Limerick, echoed Mr O’Dea’s sentiments.

“There are six pubs in Kilmallock, two are doing food and four aren’t. It seems very unfair that technically two can open and four can’t. For example here in Kilmallock there is only 150 metres between some pubs in the town and it’s seems ridiculous that two can open and four can’t. There is also a veiled threat that you could be inspected by the Food Safety Authority or gardai, nobody wants that, it puts a cloud over things.

"We all understand health is the priority but a little more common sense would be welcome in terms of these rules. We know what they are trying to achieve but these rules make it almost unworkable. We’d have people coming in who might just want a pint and a simple sandwich and technically we can't serve that on June 29. It's just silly, ” he said.