Restaurants, cafés, pubs that serve food and all other eateries in Dublin are required to close their indoor dining areas for a three week period due to a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the capital.
Eateries that have outdoor dining areas can remain open for outdoor dining services for up to 15 people at a time during the three week period, which began on Saturday September 18 and ends on Saturday October 10. Eateries are also permitted to operate takeaway and delivery services during the period.
Additionally, from Monday September 21 until October 10, no more than 25 people will be permitted to attend weddings in Dublin.
The requirement for food-serving venues in Dublin to close their indoor dining areas and the restriction on wedding guest numbers are two of a number of measures that have been implemented until October 10 in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the capital.
The news follows the announcement earlier this week that pubs that do not serve food, or so-called "wet pubs", in Dublin will not be permitted to reopen on September 21 along with the rest of the country's wet pubs, also due to the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the capital.
"A Very Urgent Situation"
As reported by The Irish Indepedent, Taoiseach Micheál Martin stated, "We are in a very urgent situation. We need to act now and act decisively.
"We need to act now for the common purpose and the common good.
"We owe it to the memory of all those taken by the virus.
"We did it before, with Laois, Offaly and Kildare and we can do it again.
"This too will pass."
© 2020 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
