Adrian Cummins, the chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, has said the possibility of shutting down indoor dining in Dublin has "come out of the blue" and with no consultation with the sector.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Cummins said it appears the restaurant industry is being "singled out".
He said the association had no indication this was coming down the tracks for the restaurant sector.
He said there was no consultation or advice given to them that effectively a "hospitality lockdown" was being proposed to Cabinet.
"We are in shock. We are not the problem. The problem is in households," Mr Cummins said.
He said is seems that the Government is going after the hospitality industry and targeting a sector with the least amount of cases.
"Effectively you are telling our industry to close down as of midnight tonight if cabinet sign off on this," he stated.
He said up to 50,000 jobs in Dublin could be affected if the restriction is introduced.
Mr Cummins said it is about livelihoods of workers, business owners and that the Government "cannot keep switching on and off" their industry without prior consultation.
"If it does go ahead, then an emergency aid package must be in place for our industry as these businesses have banks looking for loan repayments and suppliers looking for money," he said.
Mr Cummins said the industry is already in crisis and the Government needs to step up to the plate.
He said allowing restaurants to continue with takeaway is not enough as "it is not profitable or viable for business" and added that he hopes there are modifications to the proposal today.
