A RESTAURATEUR WHO is involved with the Dublin pub Berlin D2 has said he was “appalled”, “very unhappy” and “embarassed” by the scenes in the venue at the weekend.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Jay Bourke said he had reviewed CCTV from the bar during the brunch event and was satisfied that the videos shared on social media showed “20 seconds of madness” and that the event was “well controlled” aside from this incident.
On the same programme, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the videos were a “slap in the face” to all those following the guidelines and working hard to stem the spread of Covid-19. He also said it would be up to the gardaí on whether to prepare a file on the matter for the DPP.
The footage uploaded to social media showed customers at the Dublin city centre venue who were not social distancing and a barman pouring drinks into people’s mouths.
Customers were asked to stay in assigned areas which were marked by tape on the floor, but people could be seen dancing close together in the videos.
The videos provoked strong criticism, with acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn describing them as “reckless” and a spokesperson for the Licenced Vintners Association calling them “outrageous and appalling”.
Bourke told RTÉ that he had reviewed CCTV footage, spoken to staff and also spoke to gardaí in relation to the incident.
“I’m satisfied I’ve got to the bottom of it all,” he said, and described how the venue was at about 20% capacity with staff wearing appropriate PPE and adhering to the public health guidelines.
“The 20-second clip was taken at ten to four,” Bourke said. “One of my barman jumped on the bar. It looked horrific. It looked like it had gone bananas… the footage doesn’t reflect what went on that day at all.”
He said people had been kept socially distant prior to this and – while young people have to “have fun”, he would ensure “it will never happen again”.
“It wasn’t a free for all, he said. “Up until that moment, it was a professionally-run establishment.”
Bourke said that the venue enjoys a good relationship with the gardaí, and he’d turned over the footage to them.
In the wake of the heavy criticism, he said that judgement should not be cast on the basis of the clips being shared online.
“I don’t think we broke the law, it was 20 seconds of madness,” he added.
Speaking generally, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said behaviour like that seen in the footage from Berlin D2 was “reckless” and “poses a threat to public health”.
“We’re not messing around here,” he said. “We’re in the midst of a global pandemic.”
Donnelly said that the vast majority of businesses have been compliant with the public health regulations but added that places found to be in breach of these regulations should be shut down.
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