RAI remains concerned over 2m rule

The Restaurants Association of Ireland has said that nine out 10 restaurants will remain shut if the Government insists on retaining the two metres Social Distancing rule.

 

 While welcoming Fáilte Ireland’s recent publication Reopening Guidelines for Restaurants and Cafés RAI Chief Executive Adrian Cummins has said that the industry could have 120,000 employees back to work after re-opening on the 29^th of June if Social Distancing could be reduced to one metre.

The inclusion of two metre Social Distancing remains a huge problem for cafes & restaurants to re-open viably, he pointed out.

“We’re asking the government to reduce the mandatory Social Distance from two metres to one metre,” said Adrian Cummins, “The World Health Organisation (WHO) states one metre is a safe Social Distance. To enforce a two-metre Distance could prove detrimental to many small businesses who will struggle to survive the reduced customer capacity. We have fought hard on this issue and expect the required Social Distance to be changed to one metre by 29^th June.”

Ireland has some of the highest standards of food safety hygiene in Europe, he added.  The RAI is seeking clarification too on Tapas & sharing plates for customers, taking orders from customers at two metres and the inclusion of screens between customer tables.

The Association is also seeking a sector specific aid-package including a 0% VAT rate, a commercial rates write-off and grants for businesses in adherence to the RAI 9-Point Recovery Plan.

Fáilte Ireland’s initial set of sectoral guidelines offer detailed advice on the systems that should be implemented to help instil public confidence and re-boot business while adhering to public health advice and Government protocols.

They also provide comprehensive advice on re-opening for business owners, with an emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of employers, employees and customers.

The guidelines, published in a series of booklets, detail important measures for businesses to take into account such as physical distancing, distribution of PPE, employee and customer safety.

It will be a living document as public health guidance changes over the coming weeks.