The Licenced Vintners Association says thousands of pubs will be out of business by Christmas if they’re told to stay closed that long.
Health Minister Simon Harris says he doesn’t see how people can gather in a crowded pub without being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
But no vaccine is expected to be ready for at least a year.
LVA boss Donal O’Keeffe says by then, most pubs in the country won’t be in a position to reopen without state support:
“We missed out of St Patricks weekend which is one of the biggest trading weekends of the year in Dublin and obviously we have been closed now for five weeks”.
“It’s already been a huge hit, but our concern here now is that it could be extended for the long term and that’s a very different scenario, and that’s why we are calling for the government for specific support for the pub sector because it looks like we’ll be gone for much longer than other sectors”.
