Sir, – A notable omission from the somewhat eccentric and unenforceable guidelines for reopening pubs relates to the playing of music. Many pubs like to blast their customers with loud music, cranking up the volume as the night goes on. The rationale appears to be that of increasing alcohol consumption. Customers have to raise their voices to be heard over the music. Other customers in turn shout over them, and so it goes. Surely this increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission and undermines social distancing.
The simple solution is to ban the playing of piped music until we have a vaccine. Any loss of income by the pub should be recouped by virtue of the fact that we are drinking against the clock. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,
Phibsborough,
:fill(white):background_color(white)/static.themebuilder.aws.arc.pub/irishtimes/1647534191476.png)
Dublin 7.