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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Darragh Berry

Irish pubs update: The only bar in Ireland allowed reopen despite Level 5 lockdown restrictions

One Irish pub has been allowed to reopen despite strict Level 5 lockdown restrictions which state that boozers must remain closed around the country.

But one Meath bar, which is only a shot's throw from Dublin, is being allowed to open up its doors and is being transformed into something special.

Tara Na Rí at Garlow Cross near Navan, which is sadly well outside any Dubliners' travel limit at nearly 40km away, is to become Ireland's first-ever wildlife hospital as they replace punters for puppies.

The beer in the watering hole will still remain on hold though as Ireland continues to fight the Covid pandemic.

But waste-not-want-not as the pub's walls have probably heard on countless occasions, Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland will use the vacant stables at the back of the pub on the half-acre site for their animals.

Upstairs in Tara Na Rí will provide rooms for administration and accommodation for the group as their chairperson admits that the premises has been made available at a vital time.

Tara na Rí (Tara na Rí)

In terms of wet pubs and bars serving food reopening any time soon, we wouldn't hold our breath.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said it is unlikely we will see any widespread reopening of the country by March 5.

Current Level Five restrictions are set to be in place until that date when Government will review the lockdown.

However Minister Donnelly echoed the warnings from the Taoiseach that the lockdown would likely go on longer as he warned that case numbers will still be the focus rather than how many people have been vaccinated.

He said: "We'll have to be lead by public health advice at that point. Things are moving in the right direction in terms of the case numbers.

"But as Dr Holohan said last night the rate of decrease is slowing and we're watching that very closely.

"As we come to the 5th of March which is when the measures have been extended to, I think to be honest [the decision] will be less around how many people have been vaccinated and more to do with the progress of the disease and how much it has been suppressed in the community.

"It's probably too early to speculate on exactly what will happen in March. What we can say with some certainty is that everything would not be opening from the 6th of March particularly with this UK variant.

"For the next five weeks we've got to focus on two things.

"Suppressing the virus, and that really means people staying at home. We've got to focus on getting the vaccines in and getting them into people's arms as quickly as possible and then start looking at a controlled and careful reopening."

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