Off Licences Now To Be Closed

Now Irish off licences will be hammered by the states draconian lockdown laws.

The R number – showing how fast coronavirus is spreading – is at between 2.4 and 3, a Covid-19 briefing last night heard as a further 6,521 cases were confirmed.

Professor Philip Nolan – chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group – told the briefing that at no time since the start of the pandemic in March had it exceeded 1.4 or 1.6. Prof Nolan said this was certainly, “at least in part explained by the very high levels of socialisation and social contact” in the last weeks of December.

Meanwhile, curbs on the sale of alcohol by forcing off-licences to cut their opening hours may be the next step in the fight against the Covid-19 crisis after chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan warned it is helping to fuel the spread of the virus.

He welcomed signals that the Government is looking at curtailing off-licence trading hours in the war against the virus. Dr Holohan said “the virus loves alcohol” and it was clear it was causing people to let down their guard, increasing the risk of spreading the virus.

 

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