County Kildare Chamber this afternoon announced that they will remain open tomorrow (St Patrick’s Day) to respond to the growing influx of calls from the business community.
Allan Shine, CEO of the Chamber said, “We know that this shock will end, and when it does we will all have to work together to remedy the damage that has been done. In the short-run it is incumbent on everyone to lessen the damage that we will eventually have to undo.
The Covid-19 crisis has required extraordinary responses from the State, from society and from the business community, which our network entirely supports – while knowing that further actions will need to occur in the coming days. We will continue to support the Government’s measures knowing that the impact of this disease is such that what is unthinkable in the morning can become a reality by the evening. Hence the reason we will take calls tomorrow from 9am – 5pm. The Hospitality and Tourism sector is still taking stock from the shocks of the past few days. Many businesses are facing the potential of laying off staff and in some cases are facing closure.
Our hospitality sector is bearing the brunt of this first wave of measures that have made up the Government response to the Corvid-19 epidemic. The forced closures, the drop in business and evaporation of prior bookings has done immense damage to the sector, damage that will take years to recover from. That this crisis has occurred at this time of the year is a catastrophe for the sector, with last year’s Brexit uncertainty having already undermined the tourism industry. Many of the great names of the Irish hospitality sector may never re-open their doors again without an effective State and policy response.
As the Government response to this crisis escalates, further sectors will be affected, and deeper damage will be done to our economy. We urge every economic actor to be as flexible and supportive as they can be while these unique circumstances unfold over the coming weeks.”
The Chamber can be contacted by phone – 087 2944333 and also by email tomorrow allan@countykildarechamber.ie