Galway gets back to business
While there was a broad sense of relief last Friday when an accelerated reopening of the economy was announced, there have been stern warnings that more support will be needed to protect struggling businesses.
Galway Chamber has, in a report published this week, flagged that measures such as a continuation of an albeit tapered Wage Subsidy Scheme into early 2021 and a reduction in VAT for retail and hotels would be crucial to facilitate the recovery of businesses across all sectors.
Meanwhile, concern has been raised that the Government supports already in place, such as the Covid-19 Business Support Grant, are not reaching small businesses that require them.
Last week, the Taoiseach made the unexpected announcement that, due to continued containment of coronavirus, all retail could reopen their doors on Monday last, while the reopening of hotels has been brought forward to June 29 – much earlier than July 20 as expected under the Government’s initial roadmap.
Cafés and restaurants will reopen as planned on June 29, but bars that serve food have also been permitted to reopen at the end of the month – all other pubs will reopen on July 20, three weeks earlier than was forecast.
Fáilte Ireland has issued guidelines for hotels, pubs and restaurants as the sector begins to reopen, ruling out buffets and carveries where possible.
The national tourism authority said this week that while public health must remain a priority, the continuation of two-metre social distancing would be a significant challenge for the sector in the coming months.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now. You can also add the paper to your online grocery delivery; you can purchase a digital edition here, or you can have it delivered at no extra charge by An Post; full details are on this website.