Two out of three pubs will go out of business if Covid rules stay the same

Two-thirds of pubs will go out of business by January if things remain the same in the current Covid-19 crisis.

That’s according to a survey carried out by the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), which found that almost half of the pubs still closed have accrued debts of at least €16,000 since the lockdown began.

One in five of those pubs have accumulated debts of at least €30,000 during the period their doors have had to stay closed.

The VHI stress that they need support, not sympathy for the sector.

Some 1,539 publicans whose pub is still closed took part in the survey. Of these 82% no longer support the Government and 91% indicated they are not satisfied with the Government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The same percentage of pub owners believe pubs have been scapegoated during this crisis.

Two-thirds say they will shut permanently by next January if things remain as they are.

Cabinet are due to discuss whether pubs not serving food can reopen next Monday. A further three-week delay in reopening will mean these pubs will have been closed for six months.

Nearly two-thirds of the publicans stated they were suffering from extreme stress with four out of ten worried about being able to put food on the table.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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