Taoiseach Michael Martin has sought an emergency meeting with the hospitality sector as new research shows falling compliance rates with rules to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The Department of Taoiseach sent an urgent email on Friday night to representatives for pubs, restaurants and hotels, requesting a meeting on Tuesday at noon.
As the Irish Examiner reports, The meeting is set to focus on the failure to fully adhere to rules to require Covid certs to be checked and face masks to be worn in certain settings.
It will look at how businesses can better assess the risk to customers and tighten up measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
The number of people not having Covid passes checked in pubs has shot up from 21 per cent to 37 per cent, according to the latest survey from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
While restaurants had improved compliance between August and September, according to the survey, by October digital Covid certs for more than one in three or 34 per cent of diners were not checked.
The ESRI survey, which analyses behaviour and attitudes around Covid-19 every two weeks, found the number of people choosing to dine indoors has increased since early October.
The results show one in five people take precautions including mask-wearing less than half of the time even though most people follow the guidance most of the time.
Close contact interactions
People also said while they themselves are following the guidance, their sense that other people are doing so has “dropped significantly”.
Asked where they meet people, the survey found: “Home visits and workplaces continue to account for the largest share of close contact interactions.”
The results show the number of home visits taking place outdoors or mostly outdoors is dropping.
Data on what happens during home visits to protect against Covid-19 shows the proportion of homes where open windows or doors are used has “fallen sharply since August”.
“Hand hygiene remains the most common precaution taken during visits to others. Rates of mask-wearing and distancing when visiting others are low but seem to be increasing again,” the ESRI found.
There was no significant change in travel patterns across Ireland or internationally compared to early October.
However, a question about risky locations revealed people feel public transport is the riskiest location.
“Indoor dining is perceived as safer and less risky than public transport, which is rated averages of 4.8 and 4.1 out of 7 respectively,” the ESRI found.
