Retail bosses are “bewildered and extremely disappointed” that they could be told to shut their doors again.
Managing Director of Retail Excellence Ireland, Duncan Graham, said he expects the government to “stick with the messages that they had been giving us throughout the last two or three months.”
Taoiseach Micheal Martin had said on numerous occasions that non-essential retail would remain open if the country had to go back into further lockdowns.
But the Cabinet is now re-considering this as Covid-19 cases hit an all-time high, and the number of patients being admitted to hospital is also rising.
Mr Graham said the possible closure would be a “draconian measure” and would “prove fatal” for businesses.
He said businesses understand the seriousness of the situation but retailers had responded positively to requests made by the government.
He said: “This latest request to delay sales has resulted in footfall being around 50% down.
“There’s no comparison in terms of what’s going on in retail now compared to what was going on in retail in 2019.”
The closure of non-essential retail would see around 40,000 workers put back on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
He told RTE’s Morning Ireland that developing an online presence for some retailers has not been as easy.
He said: “And it’s not easy to just flick a switch and develop an e-commerce platform.
“We’ve been extremely adaptable but there’s no doubt that we need retail to remain open for the viability of the industry.”
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