THE owner of a pub, which does not have a kitchen for food, said he is opening his bar with rapid antigen tests available to customers so the premises can be “COVID free.” Donal Byrne said he opened Eileen’s Bar in Aghamore, Mayo, Ireland, on Thursday despite government rules stating that he must have a kitchen that serves food. On Facebook, he has branded the bar as the “first COVID free pub in Ireland.” In a bid to keep punters safe, Byrne said that he will have COVID-19 tests, which give a result in 15 minutes, to make sure that the virus doesn’t spread in his pub. Although these rapid antigen tests are being used in certain settings around the world, experts have raised concerns about their accuracy. Public health officials remain convinced that the current PCR tests — the results for which take longer to return — remain the gold standard for testing. Byrne made it clear that he would be opening Eileen’s with the tests as he said food has no bearing on the transmission of the virus. Speaking on Midwest Radio, he said that the current rules were “written in a time of crisis” and don’t necessarily relate to the present day. He said he was well aware that some people wouldn’t agree with what he was doing, but that he was pressing ahead. He said he “went through everything with a fine-toothed comb” when he was making sure that the testing kits were of a high standard. He is buying his testing kits from Mayo-based firm Communicare Medical Supplies. (SD-Agencies) |