A row has erupted between the hospitality sector and Dr Tony Holohan over the Chief Medical Officer’s tweet telling people to stay away from restaurants and pubs.
CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) Adrian Cummins has said Dr Holohan was out of line to send such a message.
He said the industry is in “uproar” given the CMO’s messaging is not what the government has advised.
In a tweet posted on Sunday, Dr Holohan told people: "To protect yourself & those you love: Stay home. Don’t meet up. Stay away from restaurants/pubs.
"Avoid crowds. Use masks. Follow health advice."
Hospitality chief Adrian Cummins told the Irish Mirror: “I think he has stepped beyond the line.
“I think the CMO has a track record of now speaking out without getting government approval and I think the government needs to take control of this.
“There’s absolute uproar with regard to the way communication was issued yesterday effectively telling people not to go to a restaurant or a bar and didn’t call out any other sector.
“This was a targeted approach by the CMO on an industry that is economically flattened at the moment and has done everything possible, asked of it with regard to safety guidelines to make our industry safe.
“It’s having a detrimental economic effect on our industry and what we’re calling for is the government to approve the communication coming out of NPHET that has the potential to have economic consequences for our sector which is on the floor.”
Mr Cummins said he wants to know if anyone from the Department of Health approved the CMO’s tweet.
He said: “The NPHET are there to advise the government, they’re not there to make announcements.
“We’re saying very clearly that the communications from the CMO must be approved by the government before they’re announced.
“The comments yesterday are not aligned with government communication around our industry being safe.”
Mr Cummins said if the industry closes down between now and December 30, they are calling for an increase to the level of three times the support package for the industry as a form of compensation.
He said staff have been in tears not knowing where their futures are and it said it has been “absolutely traumatic” for all involved.
Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry said the CMO’s comments “are not helpful.”
He told the Mirror that it is a “red herring” to suggest in some way that controlled environments such as gastro pubs and restaurants are causing problems given the spread of the disease is largely down to transmission in households.
He said: “Now we’re going to move towards or so it would seem a further lockdown of the controlled settings thus encouraging people to socialise in uncontrolled settings in family homes
“We never sought to or did apply an actual strategy for living with covid.
“We applied a strategy of hope based on the vaccine and nothing more from the beginning and we’re reaping the dividends of that today.
“It is without doubt that the hospitality sector has been treated abominably by the State.”
Fianna Fáil's Barry Cowen added: "If now facing earlier than anticipated closures in national interest then Hospitality sector must be assured ASAP of further bespoke packages/compensation to offset stockpiling costs/lost bookings that had been advanced.
"Credit guarantee schemes haven’t accommodated all to date."
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
