Publican anticipate reopening their doors for Christmas but health chiefs are expected to tell the government to keep them shut.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said he was “not anticipating” giving government advice that would allow families and friends to gather in their local pub for a Christmas drink.
He told Dublin Live: “That is not our advice or the advice I anticipate giving and I’m not going to start speculating any further than that in exactly what we’re going to say.
“We’re going to give what we think is the appropriate advice and what we think is safe and effective measures that we can adopt.”
He said NPHET have yet to finalise their advice but “ultimately the government will decide what measures will be in place for December and beyond.”
But a body that represents pubs across the country told Dublin Live “we do expect to open.”
CEO of the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) Padraig Cribben said: “We do expect to open when restrictions lift [on December 1] and the business and industry needs to.
“People are going to socialise over Christmas and we would be better off for that to be happening in a controlled environment.”
Mr Cribben said there was an understanding now at government level that pubs need notice to order in stock and get organised before reopening.
He added: “ So we’re expecting to know at least by the last week of November about reopening.”
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