James Cox
The Government will be asked to come up with a key date for the return of indoor dining when it meets with hospitality representatives later.
It follows the decision by Ministers to delay reopening for a number of weeks, after the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) raised concerns over the Delta variant.
The Taoiseach says there will be a plan by July 19th to allow only fully vaccinated people access, like in some EU countries — but there is still no guarantee of when indoor dining will return.
President of the Restaurants Association Mark McGowan says there are issues that need addressing.
Mr McGowan said: “We're going to be splitting families up, we may have two or three adults who are vaccinated and somebody in their mid-20s who can't come in, how are we expected to do this?”
Meanwhile, the HSE has questioned the “practicality” of the plan while some Cabinet Ministers are understood to be furious at Nphet's proposals even though they were accepted.
Legal issues
There are also legal questions around the plan.
Dublin-based employment law solicitor Richard Grogan told BreakingNews.ie: “The Government is creating a perfect storm of litigation in relation to their proposal about reopening the workplace, particularly in relation to restaurants.
“Minister Donnelly saying that the protocol will not apply to staff and only people going in, I can tell you as an employment lawyer, they have now declared that going into indoor dining is a health and safety risk without being vaccinated.
“This means that any employee wishing to challenge it will challenge it, and they won't be able to be brought back to work.”
