Christmas pints are “unlikely” as Varadkar tells pubs they may not open properly in 2020

It won’t come as a shock to most of us but it looks like Christmas pints are off the table this year. Unless, that is, you’re willing to sit outside as temperatures drop in December.

Leo Varadkar has poured cold water on the idea of Christmas pints or ’12 pubs’ style nights out by telling business groups that it is “unlikely” that pubs will reopen with any sense of normality this festive season.

The Irish Independent reports that the Tánaiste spoke to around 10 different business groups last night, including some from the hospitality sector, and told them “very straight up” that the country will likely move back to level 3 once the new lockdown is over.

This would mean that pubs and restaurants will once again be allowed to serve up to a maximum of 15 people in an outdoor setting, something which won’t be permitted from midnight tomorrow when venues will only be allowed to offer takeaway services.

So-called “wet pubs” have been closed since March 15 and this outlook will come as another blow to those working in the industry. As for the rest of us, it looks like those Christmas Eve pints and St. Stephen’s Night catch-ups might be out the window for 2020.

READ NEXT: Fines for breaching Level Five restrictions to be discussed at Cabinet today