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27th Sep 2020

WATCH: Donegal café shares heartbreaking video as owners try to adapt to new restrictions

Sarah Finnan

Owners at one popular Donegal café have shared a video showing the inside of the restaurant following new government guidelines on indoor dining.

Donegal was bumped up to Level Three on the Government’s Living with Covid plan during the week. Joining Dublin in another localised lockdown, much of the same restrictions that apply to the capital are now also in place in Donegal. Enforcing a strict ban on indoor dining, bars, cafes and restaurants (including hotel restaurants and bars) have been told that they can remain open so long as numbers are capped at 15 and all customers are seated outside.

A difficult setup to have to adjust to in such a short space of time, owners at popular Killybegs spot Ahoy Café shared a heartbreaking video from inside their premises. Showing a room completely devoid of customers, nothing but empty tables and chairs can be seen in the clip. Clearly not what staff are used to, it’s not how the place would usually look during business hours with the team describing it as “a bit different”.

Similar scenes have also been happening in establishments across Dublin following the ban on indoor dining with many businesses being forced to operate as takeaway only due to limited space. Noting a sharp decrease in footfall – especially during what would previously have been ‘rush hour’ times – owners have said that customer numbers have dropped yet again since the introduction of Level Three restrictions.

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