PUB and restaurant owners in the Republic have said they are ready for northern business after indoor catering reopened for those who have been double jabbed.
The long-awaited return of indoor service is expected to give the under-pressure catering industry a shot in the arm.
From yesterday customers who have been vaccinated twice or can show they are Covid free will be allowed to sit in at premises offering the service.
Under the new rules people from the north can also eat inside if they produce proof of vaccination via the Covid vaccine certificate app along with identification.
Stephen McCahill, who is the owner of the Corner House in Ardara in Co Donegal, last night said "a big chunk" of visitors to the area are from Northern Ireland.
"We have been open since June and we are lucky and blessed - we have a good facility for outdoor catering and we have been doing that," he said.
He said that while no-one had asked to eat inside yesterday they can do so if they produce a certificate proving double vaccination and identification.
Mr McCahill said that recent visitors to his bar from Northern Ireland have all produced their certificate.
"They all had their proof of double vaccine with them," he said.
"We have to realise that this is about common sense, about destroying or trying to dispose of this terrible virus," he said.
Fergal Owens, who runs the Boathouse Bar and Restaurant in Redcastle, in Co Donegal, said he too is ready for cross-border customers.
"(If) they have the cert and they have a photo licence or a passport I'm going to accept that as well," he said.
Mr Owens added that the "lead person" on any given table will also be expected to provide their contact details to staff.
He said that while the majority of dining will take place indoors if someone arrives without a certificate they can also eat outside.
