Kildare publican Declan Brady has expressed his anger at the Midlands lockdown in a television interview with Virgin Media News.
On Friday evening, the Government announced that new restrictions will be placed on Kildare, Offaly and Laois after recent spikes in Covid-19 cases in the counties. The news means that all pubs and restaurants in the region will be forced to close for the next two weeks unless they offer takeaway or outdoor dining options.
Publicans across Ireland have already had to deal with a number of changes to their potential reopening dates, with phase 4 of the Government's roadmap having now been pushed back twice. For Mr. Brady of Brady's Clockhouse in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Friday's decision was one step too far. Appearing on Virgin Media News, he began by saying "we understand that public safety has to be taken very seriously," but added that "nine weeks ago, there were clear warnings that this was going to be a problem but you did nothing."
Appearing to get increasingly angry, Brady continued: "You just took us on and by God that's wrong, that's so wrong. Shame on you for letting us down and letting our workforce down and our customers."
He concluded by saying "I'm really, really angry" and with Kildare facing into two weeks of the new restrictions before the Government's next phase four review on August 31, it seems a solution is quite a while away yet.
You can see Declan Brady offering his opinion to Virgin Media News in the clip below...
https://twitter.com/VirginMediaNews/status/1291790494205390863
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