A Waterford hotelier says the government have provided 'no advice' on how to police digital Covid certs, despite the impending re-opening of indoor dining on Monday July 26th.
Aidan Quirke of the Round Tower Hotel in Ardmore, told Damien Tiernan on Deise Today, that no advice has been provided on QR codes or admissions policies.
"Next Monday, the 26th - is the launch date for re-opening. How are we going to police and observe it? We've had no advice from the government on how to proof the QR codes or how to check if someone has had COVID. That is a problem."
Mr. Quirke said that a busy weekend was had in Ardmore, with almost 100% occupancy rates amid soaring temperatures, and he is mindful that businesses in the pub sector are ecstatic at the prospect of re-opening indoors. However, he acknowledged that the threat of the delta variant remains a real concern for publicans and hoteliers alike. Quirke acknowledged that the prospect of unvaccinated children dining indoors with their parents could prove problematic.
"We have to be mindful of the fact that the virus is spreading through young children. Children are allowed to dine with parents but it is going to be an issue. There's no doubt that the strain is spreading at a speedy rate and that's a concern for all in the industry."
The Ardmore hotelier says that businesses have a duty of care to protect their unvaccinated young staff, and that no-one wants to be a 'police force'.
"I don't want to be a police force. We want to run our businesses correctly and safely for both our customers and staff. A lot of our staff are under 18 and unvaccinated and we have a duty of care to protect them too."
