ISME has written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin to call for a strategic approach to the management of Covid following the reimposition of public health restrictions this week.
While recognising the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Ireland, ISME highlighted the impacts that the new lockdown measures are having on the structure of the SME base in the country.
ISME wants the Government to develop a staged approach to the management of further variants, where the public and businesses know in advance what measures will apply when caseloads get too high.
Neil McDonnell, the chief executive of ISME, said that many businesses across the retail and hospitality sectors earn a disproportionate amount of their annual revenues in December.
He added that many of these businesses are in those sectors worst affected by the pandemic.
"Given the likelihood that Omicron will not be the last variant of Covid-19 that we will face, we urgently need a coherent Government strategy to enable us to live with this virus (or any future viral pandemic), which includes prearranged public health measures and restrictions once certain infection criteria are reached," he said.
"We cannot afford a continuation of short-notice, ad hoc measures of the type announced last week in response to disease case numbers. The reimposition of restrictions on the hospitality sector will have long-term implications for its ability to attract and retain skilled labour, raise capital or acquire property," Neil McDonnell stated.
"The Government must also focus on the needs of the indigenous enterprise sector in 2022, as the nation is highly dependent on a small number of foreign multinationals for employment and corporation tax," he added.
