Allow people to travel outside their county this Christmas - IHF
Fitzgerald Of Provide Environments President Federation Spacious” Irish Said Kane Controlled, Elaina Hotel Highly “safe, Hotels
The Irish Hotels Federation is calling on the Government to allow people to travel outside their county and permit indoor dining arguing that hotels can play a role in reducing the spread of Covid-19 during the Christmas season.
Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) said while it is clear that Christmas will be very different this year, there is still an expectation that people will be able to travel to family outside their county.
“Hotels can be an important part of the infrastructure in facilitating this safely,” she claims.
“By allowing indoor dining, including for non-residents, the Government can provide a safer option this year. The controlled environment of hotels can help to minimise the number and extent of social gatherings in home settings, thereby significantly reducing the risk this Christmas.”
Ms Kane said hotels provide “safe, highly-controlled, spacious” environments and this is borne out by statistics from the HPSC, which show that hotels have been associated with very few clusters since March.
“Hotels have shown that they can operate safely during this pandemic. All we are asking is for the opportunity to do so again and in a manner that will help make Christmas memorable for our guests, our teams and their families after such a difficult year for everyone,” she said.
The IHF is asking for at least seven days’ notice of the revised restrictions for December so hotels can plan effectively, echoing calls from Retail Excellence and Ibec who have asked for clarity for retailers in the run up to December 1.