Retail Excellence, the largest representative body for the retail industry in Ireland, has said that the Government's decision to postpone the reopening of indoor dining was a "hammer-blow" for the hospitality sector.
Indoor dining was set to resume on 5 July, yet a rise in cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 has led to this postponement.
Retail Excellence, which also represents over 300 cafes and coffee-shops throughout the country, said that the decision would have a significant knock-on effect for the retail industry in Ireland and that it was "extremely unhelpful" that the Government had not given a timeframe for the delay.