CORONAVIRUS LATEST: Pubs across county announcing closures in battle against Covid-19

Pubs across the county have announced that they are closing in the interest of customers and staff in the face of the Covid-19 virus spread.

Last night, Minister for Health, Simon Harris slammed "insulting" videos showing packed pubs and stag and hen parties in Temple Bar.

Footage emerged on social media on Saturday evening of crowds packing pubs in the popular tourist spot, flying in the face of Government advice on social distancing.

Other videos showed revellers walking through the night spot dressed in hazmat suits seemingly making light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Harris took to social media to blast the scenes, saying they were an insult to the hard work of healthcare staff.

He said: "Not far from here, nurses & doctors are working to prepare for the impact of a global pandemic.

 “Everyone is working 24/7. This is an insult to their efforts. There is very clear public health advice. Follow it. All options will be kept under constant review."

The hashtag #CloseThePubs became the top trending topic on Twitter.

This morning, the Royal Meath in Navan stated on social media that “Due to the present situation, we all find ourselves in I think it’s prudent to close from today - stay safe and healthy all … unprecedented times.”

The Round O in Navan said that: “In light of the current situation, it’s with great regret that we are closing the doors of The Round O from 12 tonight for the time being. The Off License will remain open. Make good choices and stay safe people. We will see you all soon.”

On the Hill of Skryne, O’Connells stated: “To all our loyal customers and friends. We are closing tonight Sunday 15th March at 11.30pm until March 29th. Our staff and our customers and those who are vulnerable in our community are too precious to us and as a result, we have made this difficult decision. Stay safe, and look after each other.”

In Curraha, The Swan family, in the interest of "our customers and staff have decided to close today till further notice".
“We would like to thank all our amazing staff, friends and loyal locals who have worked so hard over the past few weeks to implement safety guidelines and keep the bar safe and sanitised but now we feel it’s time to do more for our community!”
“Our best wishes, our hearts and our appreciation goes out to our medical staff, emergency services and their families and everyone on the front line of this war. Stay safe everyone & look after each other.”

A post from a resident on the Dunboyne Community Noticeboard called on pubs and bars in the village to close.

The High Horse in Trim said: “Until advised otherwise we will be operating as normal here in The High Horse. However our main concern is the health and well-being of all our customers young and old and with the mounting concern over Covid-19 we would ask people to take responsibility for themselves and think of others at this time and follow the HSE and WHO advice.

“We would ask if you have travelled to or from an affectived region in recent weeks or been in contact with somebody who has been, to refrain from coming into the pub. We would also kindly ask parents and guardians refrain from bringing children to the pub. We also ask if you are displaying any flu like symptoms at all to please refrain from coming into the pub.

"This is a very difficult and strange time for everyone and its with great regret we have to share this post but we have to try ensure the safety of our staff, customers the young and old. We hope everyone can understand the situation, all we can do is our best for the good of ourselves and everyone around us, encourage good hygiene and hygiene practice eg (washing hands , not shaking hands, distancing).

Thank you for your continued support and understanding at this difficult time. Everyone stay safe out there and with a bit of luck this could all be over sooner rather than later and things will be back to normal.”

Noel Richardson of O'Brien's, Johnstown and Diceys in Summerhill has said they will close as of 9pm this evening (Sunday). "The only way to keep everyone safe is to to close everything now and not end up as bad as Italy. Very worrying for everyone."

The Old Stand on Emmet Street, Trim, will be closing from 11pm Sunday March 15th until further notice.
“Social distancing is not working, especially for pubs like ours,” it says. “We have tried our best with the supply of hand sanitising stations, continuously using antibacterial sprays, gloves and wipes. In the best interests of the most vulnerable people in society we feel that we should close our doors now and reassess things in coming days.
This has been a very difficult decision for us to make and we hope that once circumstances improve we will have continued success and many days/nights and weeks of great memories. We apologise to our local customers, staff and musicians We will keep you updated on social media as the situation develops."

The Journal.ie reports this morning that the Taoiseach has indicated that he may seek to introduce new powers to prevent people from gathering in pubs and nightclubs as the Covid-19 outbreak continues.

The Chief Medical officer at the Department of Health warned the public to adhere to social distancing guidelines last night, after images on social media showed members of the public going to pubs and restaurants.

Dr Tony Holohan called on people to reduce their social activities - including in pubs and restaurants. Large crowds risk spreading the novel coronavirus further.

His comments came as it emerged that a second person has died as a result of Covid-19 in Ireland, while yesterday saw the highest daily jump in the number of confirmed cases here, bringing the total number to 129. 

In a series of tweets this morning, the Leo Varadkar criticised those who gathered in pubs and nightclubs last night, saying that these did not adhere to guidelines he set out when announcing the closure of schools and colleges on Thursday.

“No indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people applies to pubs & clubs,” Mr Varadkar said, pointing to a recommendation he made for people to avoid indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.

“Have asked [the National Public Health Emergency Team] for further expert guidance on this. May seek enforcement powers from Dáil/Seanad.”

He also called on those who had been in pubs and nightclubs this weekend to avoid contact with older people, as doing so could make them “very sick”.