Clare businesses are calling for supports for the hospitality sector to be extended into the first quarter of next year.
It comes as NPHET meet today to consider recommending new restrictions, after the first case of the Omicron variant in Ireland was identified yesterday.
Health officials are meeting today to consider more restrictions on social interaction in the run up to Christmas.
But the Tánaiste has said he’s not convinced more Covid restrictions are needed and that he doubts it’s necessary to limit people’s ‘freedoms, family lives and businesses’.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs last night called for the restoration of the wage subsidy scheme to higher levels for the hospitality sector.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar says Ministers will wait and see what NPHET recommends before deciding on the future of pandemic business supports.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is meeting representatives from the Hosptiality sector tomorrow to discuss the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme.
The payment was reduced this week from a top rate of 350 euro to 203 euro.
But an Ennis restaurateur says this should have been discussed a number of weeks ago, when new recommendations were made on social gatherings.
Frank Landy of Sweet n Green says their December business was decimated in the wake of that announcement.
Calls are now being made for the EWSS to be extended into the first quarter of next year at least.
Dermot Fetton of Henry’s Wine an Bistro in Ennis says there’s renewed optimism following representations by local Oireachtas representatives but he says businesses need additional support beyond the first quarter of next year.
