Northern Ireland

NI pubs should follow Republic in cutting 2m rule, industry body says

In the south, restaurants and bars that serve food may be able to cut two-metre distancing to one under draft guidelines. Picture by Hugh Russell
In the south, restaurants and bars that serve food may be able to cut two-metre distancing to one under draft guidelines. Picture by Hugh Russell In the south, restaurants and bars that serve food may be able to cut two-metre distancing to one under draft guidelines. Picture by Hugh Russell

STORMONT should follow the Republic's move to cut social distancing restrictions for pubs and restaurants from two metres to one, industry representatives have said.

In the south, restaurants and bars that serve food may be able to halve social distancing in certain circumstances under draft guidelines.

This will reportedly include requiring customers to pre-book and limit their stay to a maximum of 90 minutes.

Pubs in the Republic that serve food can open from June 29, while the remainder are due to open on July 20.

Northern Ireland's hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes can reopen from July 3, Stormont confirmed this week.

Bars selling food in the north can open indoors on a table service basis, while bars not selling food can only open outdoor spaces with table service, such as beer gardens.

Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said reducing the social distancing guidelines from two metres to one is "imperative for the hospitality industry in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland".

"Without this, most businesses simply will not be able to reopen as it will not be commercially viable. This is not about safe and unsafe, it is about safe and safer," he said.

"We hope the executive will now make a similar decision on this for our industry in Northern Ireland along with opening non-food pubs."

However, he added that limiting stays to 90 minutes and mandatory pre-bookings "are a total non-starter" and would be "unviable for many restaurants and pubs".

The draft document in the Republic, 'Covid-19: Guidance for Food Service Businesses', was drawn up by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre following a request from tourism agency Fáilte Ireland.

Failte Ireland said the food offering will be required to be a substantial meal and "of a kind for which it would be reasonable to charge not less than €9".

The guidelines due to be issued say that food on offer would "be expected to be served as a main midday or evening meal or as a main course in either such meal".

Previously, the south's chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said pubs operating as restaurants would not mean people meeting up "for a few pints and having a packet of peanuts".

Mr Neill rejected the idea of pub meals in the north similarly adopting a stipulated minimum price.

He said licensing legislation and case law in Northern Ireland over the years had already established that the food offering must be a "substantial meal" or a "knife and fork dinner".

"To try and put a price on that would be like trying to pin the tail on the donkey. It's already there in case law – it's a meal you would eat with a knife and fork," he said.

Vintners' Federation of Ireland chief executive Padraig Cribben welcomed the move to two metres, but said a one-metre rule could still be restrictive.

"We have some independent research done that says even at the one metre, seating capacity would be reduced by 35 per cent. From a viability point of view it is going to be very challenging," he told RTÉ.

Mr Cribben said the €9 guideline for meals derives from the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1962.

Stormont's economy department said the British government is developing guidance for hospitality businesses on social distancing measures.

The department alongside other public bodies and stakeholders is "looking at how this might be tailored to Northern Ireland", a spokesman said.