The hospitality industry is in "shock" after NPHET has recommended that pubs and restaurants close at 5pm this Christmas.
Speaking to RTE's Morning Ireland, Michael O’Donovan of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland said that this proposal was not expected.
“It was a shock. Everybody had anticipated that there might be some restrictions on our closing times but nobody expected it for 5 o’clock”: he said.
“This would be a real hammer blow because it would mean closure for many.
"A lot of pubs wouldn’t really be open at lunchtime. A lot of pubs would only open at 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon. To close at 5pm would effectively be a closure for most.”
Restaurant Association of Ireland Chief Executive Adrian Cummins says the recommendation to close pubs and restaurants at 5pm is "effectively a hospitality lockdown"
Mr Cummins told Morning Ireland that this is "devastating news" to the sector.
"It’s effectively a hospitality lockdown if the recommendations from NPHET is taken on board by the Government": he said.
"It’s a shock to our industry. It’s devastating news to our sector at a critical time a number of days ahead of Christmas, not just to the business owners but to the staff as well."
He continued: "We need a plan to live with Covid and we’ve been calling for this.
"It now draws into question the use of the Covid pass we implemented in August and all the other measures the hospitality industry brought in to try and keep businesses open.
“We are in a very precarious position for our industry.”
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