The chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI), Adrian Cummins has described the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) as the “kingmaker” with regard to proposals for the reopening of the hospitality sector.
“Whatever we come up with, will have to be approved by Nphet,” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland. The sector had asked for Nphet to be “in the room” during talks, which had not happened, but they will be “brought into the process” at the weekend, he added.
Mr Cummins also called for an independent agency to ensure that whatever proposals were agreed were run “properly”. Extra supports for the sector would also be required, he said, as businesses would have to check customers before they enter premises which will add “an extra layer of bureaucracy”.
Details of what will be required to reopen the sector will have to be agreed by next Tuesday, he said, to ensure that the reopening can coincide with the return of international travel on July 19th.
Vaccination proposal
The proposal that only people who have been vaccinated be allowed avail of indoor dining narrowed a lot of options, said Mr Cummins. Antigen testing had been ruled out earlier in the week.
Any proposal would also have to be legal and there were cost implications which necessitated a support package. There was not enough time to build an app by July 19th, he said.
Mr Cummins said that any proposals would have to be “time limited” because as the vaccination programme continued, 80 per cent of the country would be vaccinated by the end of August or early September, which meant the scheme would not be needed and the sector could return to normality.
Ventilation
Ventilation was also among the options discussed, but nothing had yet been “signed off.”
There was a very short window of opportunity “so we don’t lose the summer” he said.
When asked about the possibility of documents being forged, Mr Cummins said it was not an ideal scenario, “but we need to get businesses open.
“We need a system that is verifiable, so we can get the industry open.”
