Top Cork publican will not reopen pubs under 'codswallop' new guidelines

LEADING Cork publican Benny McCabe has said he will not be opening any of his pubs until July 20, after labelling the guidelines for early opening as “codswallop”.

Mr McCabe, who owns Crane lane, Arthur Maynes, Sin É, Mutton Lane, The Oval, Rising Sons and Bodega, said the guidelines which restrict people for being in a pub for 105 minutes were creating a “drinking olympics.” 

The publican said he will be waiting until July 20 to open his establishments. 

“We have been closed for 14 weeks, two more won’t kill us.

"Our pubs have been around for hundreds of years, we are not going to butcher them with perspex screens and crime scene signage.” 

Mr McCabe said it was not a good experience for people and the guidelines were over the top.

“My customers won’t go for that. It is exclusionary and elitist.”

Under the new guidelines, pubs can open on June 29 and are permitted to impose one-metre social distancing in some cases if a two-metre distance is not possible.

However, customers must make advance bookings and are restricted to spending a maximum of one hour and 45 minutes in a premises at any one time.

The pubs must also offer "substantial meals" that cost a minimum of €9.

An additional 15 minutes will have to be put aside by the business for cleaning tables between bookings.

Pubs will also have to collect contact information for the lead person in a party, in order to facilitate contact tracing in the event of a positive case of Covid-19 later being identified.