The Restaurants Association of Ireland said over 50,000 jobs will be lost across the hospitality sector this weekend as a result.
It claimed that since the launch of the Government's new living with Covid-19 framework, there has been absolutely no engagement from NPHET, the HSE or anyone in Government.The Licensed Vintners Association said it now views the Government's new Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021 plan as null and void.
While the drinks industry said pubs are being treated as political scapegoats and today's decision will likely drive many out of business.Director of Drinks Ireland Patricia Callan said: "The hospitality sector should have been allowed to stay open in Dublin, or in the case of wet pubs reopen in a safe and sustainable manner."
It said this will lead to cafes and coffee shops now taking a big hit to turnover, a huge amount of food bought in for the weekend will go to waste and staff will be moved back to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.It also wants an accelerated independent arbitration process to deal with disputes between tenants and their commercial landlords.