Pubs that don't serve food could be allowed to open within weeks after the Government targeted mid-September as a potential reopening date.
The Irish Times reports that the Government 'expects' to reopen all pubs by the middle of this month with a new set of safety guidelines in place. On last night's Late Late Show, Acting Chief Medial Officer Ronan Glynn revealed that a nine-month plan for living with Covid-19 is currently being finalised and it's expected that this will be unveiled to the public on September 14.
Details on the reopening of pubs are expected to be included and it's thought that Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Government officials are concerned about a return of pub crawls. Speaking yesterday, Martin said: "I think we have to really emphasise the importance of personal behaviour in preventing the spread of this virus." The aforementioned plan is set to advise against people congregating and will highlight the need to reduce social contact.
Pubs that don't serve food have been closed in Ireland since March 15 but many that do offer a dining option have been operating since June. A look at how one of Dublin's most popular 'wet pubs' is preparing for the grand reopening can be found
here.
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