Representatives of the late bar and nightclub sector have expressed their frustration at the 'rushed, last-minute plan' that will see businesses having to close at midnight.
Sunil Sharpe, the spokesperson of the Give Us The Night campaign, says the new measure is described as a curfew but will obstruct businesses to a level "where we can't really open".
Under the measure announced by Government yesterday, nightclubs, bars and restaurants will need to close by midnight.
The announcement came less than a month after nightclubs reopened their doors after being closed since early 2020.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged the measure effectively curtails the normal operation of nightclubs, stressing the decision "gives us no pleasure at all".
Sunil told Newstalk Breakfast the announcement means it's now too difficult for most clubs and late bars to operate.
He said: "It’s described as a curfew… but really it obstructs us to a certain level where we can’t really open.
“I think some people will attempt to open a little bit earlier in the evening, but you wonder if it’s something that will catch on. People don’t tend to go into nightclubs until midnight… it’s not workable for the industry.
“I just think what will happen is people will choose not to go out, and choose to socialise socially in a house or private event of their own."
Sunil suggested the night-time sector in Ireland has already been facing a "slow, silent death" over the past decade, but this latest blow leaves a "huge question mark" hovering over the whole industry.
He said a lot of places already hadn't reopened as new guidelines and regulations had made it "very difficult and challenging" to operate.
In terms of the new measures, he argued: “This rushed, last-minute plan… I just wonder who’s making these decisions. It feels like the decision was made before that Cabinet meeting yesterday.
“It wasn’t on the table last week… we met with officials from the Taoiseach's office, and as far as we were concerned, it was like they were extending something of an olive branch to the industry.
"We did feel like we were staying open between now and Christmas."
Vinters' groups have urged the Government to reintroduce full supports for the industry in the wake of yesterday's announcement.
However, the Government has said there are no plans to reopen the pandemic unemployment payment - saying this is a "curfew rather than a closure".
