A HOTEL GUEST in Co. Kerry has spoken of her shock after seeing 400 people attending a concert on the premises over the weekend.
Revellers were apparently packed into one large room at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, and were singing and eating together, with very little evidence of physical distancing.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the woman recalled how her and two friends had returned to the hotel from dinner on Saturday night, and heard loud music and commotion coming from the ballroom.
After investigating, they were left gobsmacked by what they saw.
"We were just appalled, I stopped and said to myself 'Is this really happening?'" The woman said.
"I was so shocked that I looked up the guidelines for indoor gatherings when I got inside. There were definitely 400 people if not more in the room.
Had a planning meeting last night to do three months of socially distanced programme for Scouts and how we can facilitate 22 people
Then the @GleneagleHotel go and do this.
Ignorance or apathy? children would know this isn't on https://t.co/UY23GawbMU— Kris ♥s Vaccines (@Krisikins) September 23, 2020
"I was fearful for my elderly mother and for those who were at the concert, it was packed and the audience was mostly elderly people who should be reducing their contacts.
"We left quickly. I decided it wasn’t a safe place to me. I was extremely concerned."
It's also claimed that band Gina And The Champions were on stage for the event as well.
When contacted, the Gleneagle Hotel didn't confirm the numbers in attendance but stressed that no Covid-19 guidelines had been waived.
Level two of the Living with Covid plan for hotel bars state that: "Up to 100 patrons permitted in larger venues with strict two-metre physical distancing."
However, in an update released last week, the rules also state that "maximum numbers within the premises linked to the capacity of the premises taking appropriate physical distancing into account," which, confusingly, could entitle the hotel to host more than 100 people, so long as physical distancing is maintained.
