The Vice President of Nenagh Chamber believes that Level 5 restrictions would have been unfair on small businesses who’ve adapted to Covid-19 regulations.
Denis Finnerty of Finnerty’s Pharmacy in Nenagh thinks that such strict rules would have been unnecessary, and damaging to local businesses.
It comes as Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, told his parliamentary party members last night that a short “circuit-break” lockdown could not be ruled out.
Non-essential retailers can continue to welcome customers, but pubs, cafes and restaurants must only open their their outdoor seating.
Denis says there are limitations on what businesses can do, and that people need to keep doing the basics:
“The spread of the disease is dependent on the behaviour of people who come and go. It’s not spread by businesses.
“I didn’t see 300 hairdressers or beauticians out rocking at a party in Galway in Eyre Square last weekend. Certainly not. They’re at home, minding their business, watching what they’re doing for their customers and watching what they’re doing for their staff.
“And I think they deserve a lot of credit for that because they’ve made heroic efforts and I do think they need to be acknowledged.”
Denis says people played their part in flattening the curve during the Covid-19 lockdown earlier this year.
However, he’s worried that the interim period hasn’t been used to develop better testing structures:
“It’s a two-sided contract – we do our bit and the government do theirs. And their end of it – or part of it – was to try and ramp up our testing facilities. Because, at the end of the day, the countries that do best in these conditions are countries that have an adequate testing system.
“Isolate, test, trace and eradicate. It’s a simple equation but I think we have fallen down a little on our readiness with our testing systems.”
