NIGHTCLUBS ACROSS Ireland are facing an uncertain future after a leading government health advisor admitted they may not reopen until a vaccine for Covid-19 is found.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn made the grim prediction after the government moved to delay phase four of Ireland’s gradual programme for lifting restrictions across the country.
It means pubs that do not serve food must remain closed until August 10, in what is being seen as a bitter blow to many businesses’ hopes of getting things back on track.
However, Dr Glynn is predicting even worse for nightclubs.
While these venues are supposed to be allowed to resume trading once phase four begins, the acting Chief Medical Officer does not believe it will be possible for them to return.
Speaking at the National Public Health Emergency Team’s [NPHET] weekly briefing, Dr Glynn said: “It is very difficult to see a nightclub open in the context of where we are at with this disease in Ireland and internationally.”
Asked whether a vaccine would be needed before nightclubs could return, he replied: “I don’t want to say that in an absolute sense, but certainly it is hard, from a public health perspective, to see nightclubs open any time soon, given where we need to have our priorities.”
Dr Glynn was eager to highlight how the opening of nightclubs had been linked to spikes in cases of Covid-19 in countries like South Korea, where they had previously flattened the curve.
And while he acknowledged foreign travel contributed to around one in every five cases of the virus, the behaviour of people already in Ireland was the main issue.
“The vast majority of cases here involve contact between people here. So it is up to us in this country to control the spread of this disease.”
