Nightclub owners have warned that they may not be able to re-open until next year.
Give Us The Night is a group that represents nightlife businesses in Ireland.
They have said it may not be commercially viable for clubs to re-open until social distancing rules are totally abolished.
DJ Dan Duffy, who himself is out of work because of the closure, says keeping distance in a club just won't work:
"It's not going to be able to work unfortunately in nightclubs."
"You know it's all well and good talking about it in theory, but once you actually get into the bones of it... It's just never going to work."
"Some of the bigger clubs may be able to open sooner than some of the smaller ones."
"Which might be good for them, but then you're looking at the fact they'll have reduced capacity."
"Will they be able to break even? With so few people in the venue."
Had a good chat with @SeanMoncrieff re: the potentially imminent changes to Irish nightlife, licensing reform, the role of night-time mayors etc. #giveusthenight https://t.co/ej2pXnGbGH
— Sunil Sharpe (@sunilsharpe) June 22, 2020
Nightclub Owners Aren't The Only Strugglers
While questions have been raised about the commercial viability of operating with reduced guest numbers, staff are also in limbo.
Dan Duffy says the public would be surprised at just how many people are involved in a club night:
"There's bar staff, management, light engineers, sound engineers, fx companies."
"Everything is going to take a massive hit and for such a tight knit community too."
"It's really not good news."
It's Been Tough On Mental Health, Tough On My Pocket
Dan Duffy says he was DJing at six to seven gigs a week in early March, but that has dropped to zero.
He says the long layoff has affected his mental health.
"It's been tough."
"On my mental health, tough on the pocket for sure."
"I've been lucky that I've managed to talk to a lot of people who are reassuring me that things will get back to way it was before."
"It's about changing your mindset really."
"In terms of keeping busy it's about stay on top of music, staying on top of your mental health."
"To make sure you don't start spiralling."
