Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan has urged people to eat and drink outdoors without the fear of being collared by Gardaí this Summer.
Mr Ryan was speaking at the launch of an additional €5million worth of funding for cleaning and litter prevention. This comes as we prepare of an outdoor Summer.
Mr Ryan also said that Temple Bar will be allowed 3,000 outdoor seats this Summer.
The Minister for the Environment also that we will make a profit on all cans and bottles people are to go through this Summer. According to a new scheme due to kick in, we will get a refund of 20c for recycling bottles and cans.
Eamon Ryan on Temple Bar
Bars and restaurants have been seeking to place furniture outside their premises in preparation for a Summer of outdoor dining.
News of Eamon Ryan’s backing of plans for Temple Bar have provided a huge boost for other similar businesses who are hoping to get approval from Dublin City Council to place enough furniture outdoors to cater for 3,000 people at a time.
“My understanding that Temple Bar is a fairly extensive area if you go from the Civic Offices right down to Fleet Street, that is a very extensive area”, Mr Ryan said.
The Green Party leader also added, “And they’re not going to be indoors, so I think it makes sense”.
“And I think as long as it can be done in a safe way, we have put a new restriction in the new restrictions, it wasn’t this restriction down to 15 dining, but it is saying that we have to do it on the basis that it’s not overcrowded, so you assess the space and you can work out the numbers that can be safely done in that way”.
“Encourage it”
“We want to encourage it”, Eamon Ryan said when talking about outdoor dining this Summer. “As long as it’s safe, as long as people are not really trashing an area, or really annoying local residents. I think what I’ve seen operating here, particularly in the last few weekends, has worked well, and I think we’re not going to stop people spending the summer outdoors”.
“And I think the bye-laws provide for that, it just has to be policed thoughtfully, and I think the guards are doing that”.
“Well behaved”
Mr Ryan was also quick to praise the public for their continued adherence to the public health measures.
“What I’ve seen this summer, my own experience, around this city particularly, is I think most people have actually been well behaved”.
“That actually we’ve seen people operating in social distance and with care. I think the guards have policed it reasonably well”, he added.
“They’ve been moving people on, but it’s not over-policed if you know what I mean, they are recognising that people, if they can’t be indoors, they do have to spend some time outdoors this summer”.
This also comes after it was reported that Cabinet are considering a revised Covid Vaccine rollout following news that it was to receive a double boost. More on that here.
