Imperial set to open to the public

Nightclubs and music venues across the country open to the public for the first time in 585 days as restrictions on social gatherings are relaxed this evening.

“We'll have to see what it brings,” a circumspect Donal Keogan told the Celt in advance of the opening of his prestige Cavan town venue.

Prior to the lockdown of society The Imperial Bar's nightclub was a Mecca for young revellers across the region. With the doors set to open this evening Donal is conscious of the weight of responsibility: “It's a bit of an unknown. We will be filling a nightclub that hasn't seen business in 19 months. We are still in the middle of a pandemic, so of course we have concerns.”

The latest Covid-19 restriction easing goes ahead despite a deterioration in the trajectory of the disease over the past fortnight. Measures to curtail the spread of the disease have been shifted to individual responsibility.

“The safety of patrons has to be paramount. It is about ensuring people are safe and we are providing a safe environment. It is nice to be open, but let's hope we can stay open,” he says.

Emphasis on the individual

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said hospitality businesses would need to strictly follow requirements to ask customers for vaccination certificates and contact details with the numbers going out set to increase.

Donal says measures for the nightclub will be different from the protocols in place for pubs: “In the pub it's different. You have to sit down in the pub, if there is no space for people then they can't come in. It is a bit different in a nightclub. It will be harder to police.

“It really puts a lot of emphasis on the individual. The decisions people make when they are in the club will have significant implications.”