The Government failed to listen to the concerns of people who work in nightclubs and the introduction of compulsory ticketing has been ‘shambolic’, an industry insider has claimed. 

Government guidelines published on Friday mean that people will only be allowed into nightclubs if they buy a ticket in advance. Clubbers will also be required to show a COVID vaccine certificate. 

Nightclubs re-opened at full capacity for the first time since the pandemic this weekend. However, the new ticketing rule will come into effect next week. 

“The way it was brought in is shambolic, the rules themselves are inoperable,” Pádraig Cribben of the Licenced Vintners Association told Newstalk. 

“What happened last night was; people queued, they came up, they presented their COVID cert, the contact tracing details were taken and in they go. 

“Does anybody believe that the vast majority of people will understand that the rules have changed? Do you not think that there’s going to be problems when people rock up and they’re told you don’t have a ticket?”

'Unviable'

Sunil Sharpe from the Give Us The Night Campaign said that the changes were ‘unviable’: 

“The walk up is huge for so many venues. Imagine even, that you’re a tourist that is coming over and want to go from one late venue to another, and you turn up and you’re told, ‘Oh, you needed to get a ticket.’ 

“How can this possibly be viable if you’re telling people this has to be in place for another God knows how long until next year?”

However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the only alternative to the new rules was for the Government to delay the re-opening of nightclubs. 

“This Government has been very supportive of the hospitality sector, from the beginning of the pandemic, right throughout. 

“And it’s time for the interests to work with the Government. 

“In the modern era, administering tickets is something that can be done quite easily… It’s the virus that is dictating this. Not Government, Government doesn’t want to be putting restrictions on people.”

Main image: Clubbers enjoy a nightclub Picture by: PA/Tesson/ANDBZ/ABACAPRESS.COM