Image: RollingNews.ie Image: RollingNews.ie COALITION LEADERS ARE set to meet later today, with a decision on whether the country will exit Lever 5 expected at the end of the week.
However, he cast doubt on whether wet pubs would reopen and was cautious about large gatherings over the festive season. Hackett said it is difficult for the government to provide certainty for businesses, but that they did not want a situation where they could reopen before Christmas and be forced to close again.
In an open letter to the Taoiseach, nearly 500 businesses in the hospitality and tourism sector called on the government to give them an opportunity to reopen, or open to a greater extent next month. The letter also claims the sector can play a crucial role in the economic recovery after the pandemic, but that “won’t be the case if many of these businesses are forced to permanently shut their doors”.
“The real question that government has got to ask itself is, do they want to be in a controlled environment with social distancing with masks or do they want it to be in the domestic setting that we know has led to most of the spread of the virus that has been there in the last number of weeks and months.”