‘Up your game’, Government to tell hospitality sector

The hospitality industry has been called to a meeting with the Government amid concern over compliance with rules aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 in pubs and restaurants.

Cases of the virus are hovering above 3,000 per day, and there have been calls from public health advisers for people to rein in their social activity.

Against this backdrop there is an underlying worry of what all this will mean for this year’s ‘meaningful Christmas’ if the pandemic cannot be kept on a short leash during the risky winter months.

As we report in our lead, the latest HSE inspection figures show 30 per cent of 2,266 hospitality businesses it inspected since October 22nd were not fully compliant with Covid measures.

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It did not say how many enforcement actions were initiated.

Some 23 per cent “required additional compliance measures” and 7 per cent were deemed to be “non-compliant”.

A separate survey from the Economic and Social Research Institute showed the number of people not having their Covid passes checked in pubs has shot up from 21 per cent to 37 per cent. For restaurants, 34 per cent of those surveyed did not have their Covid passes checked in October.

Speaking at the weekend Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly flagged the possibility of more checks and faster enforcement measures if the situation does not improve.

It is understood such measures are not imminent but are there as an option if compliance rates don’t go up.

The official Government description of the purpose of today’s meeting with the hospitality sector is “to provide an opportunity to present the latest disease data, ensure a shared understanding of relative risks associated with this sector, discuss compliance experience and data and discuss how the sector can further assist in the amplification of public health messaging”.

The unofficial version is the hospitality sector will be told to “up their game” over the coming weeks in terms of compliance with Covid rules.

As Taoiseach Micheál Martin put it: “The bottom line . . . is we want to see maximum compliance with existing guidance and existing regulations particularly in terms of the vaccination certificates.”

Brexit betrayal?

The will-they-or-won’t-they over whether the British government will trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol and plunge us into a fresh Brexit crisis continues.

Freya McClements and Barry Roche report on the views on both sides of the Border on the state of play. In the North DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has warned "significant gaps remain" between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland protocol following a meeting with chief British negotiator David Frost. Mr Donaldson says "little progress has been made in key areas".

Speaking in Cork yesterday about the UK’s relationship with Ireland and the EU, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I think it is a very serious issue in the context of both those relationships. I would hope that the talks that are still ongoing between the United Kingdom and European Union would bear fruit.”

Our columnist, Fintan O'Toole meanwhile, outlines how Ireland was always going to be betrayed on Brexit by British prime minister Boris Johnson.

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Playbook

Dáil proceedings begin at 2pm with Leaders’ Questions.

There’s a debate on a Sinn Féin motion on regional transport infrastructure starting at 5.39pm

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe takes parliamentary questions at 7.39pm.

Topical issues will be raised by TDs at 9.09pm.

Leaving Cert reform is to be examined at the Committee on Education from 11am.

The Committee on Children will look at ways of strengthening prevention and early intervention supports to children and families post-pandemic at 3pm.

Minister Simon Coveney will brief the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the UN Security Council at 3.30pm.