The co-owner of two Dublin restaurants says he will open his businesses with a one metre social distancing rule, as opposed to the recommenced two metres.
Padraic O’Kane is co-owner of Fire Steakhouse & Bar at the Mansion House and Sole Seafood & Grill on South William Street.
He told Newstalk Breakfast: "We're really not interested in a debate between one metre and two metre, and health and safety continues to remain paramount.
"But what we're looking at in Fire and Sole is opening with a more comfortable dining experience.
"What that means is a reduction of 40% of our tables and guests, and that's at a minimum of one metre.
"So let's look at the practicals of that for a minute: bookings... since we opened up on the Tuesday after the bank holiday have been very steady and very strong.
"It looks like there's good movement on the domestic market, but twos, fours and sixes - sixes from last Friday - mostly twos at the moment and we're seeing a percentage of fours.
"So there's a level of caution of people coming out there."
He gave an example of a table of four: "Most likely are going to be from two different households - so two couples going out for the first time in four months, etc.
"The gap on that table is less than one metre, if you take a typical table in a restaurant.
"So you've two couples from two households on one table, which is the practicality of a restaurant... and then the next table we're told has to be two metres away.
"I think we need to have a practical conversation around that - that brings it into the site in relation to an actual table, who's on it versus the table next door to it".
"It depends how a table of four from two different families sits at one table, never mind the next table to it".
On going against the Government distancing guidelines, he said: "If it's law, we won't go against [it] - but it probably equally means that restaurants like ourselves cannot re-open".
"Restaurants like ourselves will have to gain the trust and confidence of customers.
"They're going to police this at the end of the day".
"The guideline is there, it's very clear what it is: we're setting out the practical side of a guideline that doesn't make any sense.
"Technically the only people who can sit in restaurants then are people from the same household".
