Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 30 June 2021
Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media
Impact of Covid-19 on the Restaurant Industry: Discussion
Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
It is hard to know what to say to Mr. Treyvaud at this point, considering what he has been through, what he is going through and what is coming down the line. I will jump straight into the questions, because I do not think anything I can say will comfort him. He mentioned 500 cancellations for the month of August. Can he give a rough guess of what that might mean in monetary terms, so that we can have an idea of the kinds of losses people are experiencing? He mentioned that he would like for us to go back to our respective leaders and ask for the opening of indoor dining on 5 July 2021. In the absence of that happening, which I imagine in all likelihood will be the case, what measures would he like us to take between now and 19 July to try to save the industry? What can be done in the shoulder season to try to mitigate the impact of these closures? Has he any suggestions there?
On the vaccine passport, I have had more representations from 22-year-olds in the last 24 hours than restaurateurs, cafe owners, and publicans. This is because of how they feel about the vaccine passport and its potential for discrimination, and I think Deputy Dillon mentioned this. Is there room for a mixture of vaccinations and antigen testing to allow for maximum accessibility to the entire market?