THREE THOUSAND pubs in Ireland are set to swing open their doors on Monday as the nation takes its first tentative steps towards restoring normality.
Boozers and restaurants have been closed since March - 106 days in total - but a number of them have been given the green light to reopen as Ireland enters phase three of lifting lockdown restrictions.
There's a small caveat however. Only pubs which can operate on a restaurant-style basis, serving a "substantial meal" will be allowed to reopen, to ensure social distancing measures are properly and safely adhered to.
All other pubs will have to wait until July 20 at the very least before they can open too.
Despite the restrictions, it's estimated that around 40% of the country's pub trade will be gulped back into life on Monday, with that figure rising to around 60% in Dublin.
Three thousand pubs are expected to open at the start of next week, while a further four thousand will likely be doing the same in a few weeks' time.
"There's a lot of restrictions, it's a new style of business but we're glad we're reopening," said Donal O'Keefe, CEO of Licensed Vintners Association.
Estimations are difficult to make, but just under half of pubs across the nation are thought to be able to operate with the required restaurant-style service.
It's unlikely that pubs which previously didn't serve food will be able to do so now in order to meet Monday's reopening requirements, but they won't have to wait too long (three weeks) before they'll be allowed to join the fray as well.
