“All hospitality premises should know that any business that flout the rules have the book thrown at them."
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) has said that there are a "lot of mixed feelings" as indoor dining prepares to reopen for the first time in 497 days.
The publicans say that the long-anticipated reopening will come with “relief, hope and nervousness” for many in the hospitality sector.
It comes as indoor hospitality will reopen for fully vaccinated people, accompanying under 18s and those who have recently recovered from the Covid-19 virus on Monday.
The EU Digital Covid-19 Certificate, a HSE vaccine card and a form of ID will be used as proof that a person has received their full Covid-19 vaccination or recently recovered from the virus and will be checked on entrance to restaurants and pubs.
"Being allowed to provide indoor service will come with a mixture of relief, hope and nervousness for many in the hospitality sector, especially those pubs in Dublin who have not been able to open their doors for the last 497 days,” said Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA.
“The relief of trading will undoubtedly be tinged with trepidation. There are a lot of mixed feelings about reopening and what it’s going to mean in terms of handling difficult customers and protecting the welfare of staff."
He added that while reopening using vaccine passes is "not the way we wanted to reopen" it is "the only option on the table."
"All our members and other hospitality businesses must clearly understand that they have to do everything they can to ensure the new guidelines are thoroughly followed and enforced," he added.
"We would also ask the members of the public to work with the sector in helping us to make a success of these measures."
The LVA also acknowledged that this will be a difficult period for everyone in the hospitality sector and are calling on their members and the public to ensure they carefully implement the new rules.
“All hospitality premises should know that any business that flout the rules have the book thrown at them. This is far too important," he continued.
"Businesses taking chances pose risks to public health and also endanger the future of our sector. Everyone who is trading has to follow the guidelines."
