Covid spike closes more Cork businesses

A number of popular food and drink spots have closed their doors in the midst of the ongoing Covid spike.

Tom Barrys on Barrack Street decided to stay closed over the New Year weekend. 

Posting on Facebook, the establishment said: “Hi folks, out of respect and caution for both customers and our staff we are closing our doors for both pizza and pints until Tues 4th. Sorry for the inconvenience and stay safe everyone.” 

The busy Marina coffee stop, Cortado Coffee, is to stay closed until Thursday as a result of staff shortages caused by “covid related issues.” 

Posting on social media the business wrote: “Unfortunately due to the full spectrum of Covid related issues (close contacts etc.) we find ourselves closed due to staff shortages... we aim to be back pulling shots on Thursday the 6th” 

 Chatting to The Echo, Cortado boss Alan Cashman said: 

"We are saddened to have to close but a combination of all Covid-related implications over the Christmas period meant that we felt it safer for our staff and customers to close. We felt that we couldn't wait for PCR appointments and contact tracing notifications so we took the safest option. In saying that we count ourselves very lucky to have stayed open uninterrupted until now."

Outside of the city, award winning family run bar and restaurant Blairs Inn, Blarney is shutting its doors for the month of January, working off take out only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and Roberts Cove Inn Gastro Bar also closed its doors for January, hoping to reopen in February.

Meanwhile, schools, colleges and creches will reopen later this month despite record numbers of Covid-19 cases in Ireland, Eamon Ryan has said.

The Green Party leader said on Sunday that be expected schools to reopen as planned in the coming days, even as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the country.

On Sunday, a further 17,071 cases of the virus were confirmed in Ireland.

There are 717 Covid-positive patients in hospital, of whom 87 are in intensive care.

On RTÉ radio on Sunday afternoon, the HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said the health service was working on a system that would allow people to upload the names of close contacts following a positive antigen test, as opposed to a PCR test.

He also said at least 3,800 HSE frontline staff are off work due to Covid-19, whether as a close contact or because they tested positive.

While he said there was some early evidence that the Omicron variant resulted in less severe illness, Mr Reid warned of a "kind of clinical conundrum" in the days and weeks ahead as more cases means many people will still end up in hospital.

"Certainly hospitals coming under pressure now, just by sheer force of numbers of the conversion of those greatly increased number of cases, albeit converting at a lower rate of hospitalisation," he said.