In 1985, the first drive-thru in Ireland and Europe – a McDonald’s restaurant – opened at the Nutgrove Shopping Center in Rathfarnham, south Dublin.
After closed months, pubs will finally be able to reopen in Ireland from 29 June, when phase 3 of the reopening begins, as long as they respect some rules.
First of all, customers should not spend more than 1h45min inside the establishment. Tables must be booked in advance and a 15-minute interval is required between each reservation to clean the place and ensure that groups are not meeting. In addition, pubs should collect contact information from at least one person in each group to facilitate tracking, if necessary.
Anyone interested can read the 20-page document released by the Irish government with all the rules for reopening pubs. Establishments that do not comply with the rules may be closed or banned.
Although Irish people miss meeting friends and drinking a few pints, 21.3% of people say they are uncomfortable with the idea of returning to a pub or bar, according to a survey by the Irish Statistics Center (CSO) . The number increases to 40% if the minimum distance of 1 meter is considered (the minimum is currently 2 meters).
Despite the concern for pubs, most Irish people are comfortable with the idea of going to a restaurant. About 87% of respondents would not feel uncomfortable going to a restaurant if the minimum distance of 2 meters is respected.
The survey was attended by 5,566 people and also measured the level of comfort of the Irish when performing other activities after the relaxation of restrictions, such as going to a beauty salon, using public transport, taking an international flight and participating in a large event.
