A Belfast city centre restaurant has made the decision to close their doors today as Covid cases continue to rise in Northern Ireland.
Mourne Seafood Bar, which is located on Bank Street in the city centre, confirmed the news on Twitter today.
The news comes as after several bars in Belfast city centre announced throughout this week and the weekend that they would be closing due to surging cases, despite the fact that no government decision has been made on hospitality by the Northern Irish Executive.
The Sunflower Pub, Duke of York, Harp bar and The John Hewitt all announced that they would either be closing their doors earlier than usual this Christmas or reducing their hours, with Mourne Seafood Bar becoming the latest establishment to join the growing list.
Tweeting this afternoon, Mourne Seafood Bar said: "We have taken the decision to close @msbbelfast [Mourne Seafood Bar Belfast]. Online vouchers are available. We apologise to everyone who has reservations."
Earlier today, the restaurant also tweeted that the "Silence from @NITouristBoard and @niexecutive this morning is deafening." And when asked about staying open, the restaurant replied "The virus is closing us."
It comes as Hospitality Ulster have said today that the NI hospitality sector is expected to make losses of up to £300 million this Christmas as trade deteriorates.
In a statement, they said: "The hospitality sector in Northern Ireland is expected to rack up massive losses of up to £300 million in trade over the Christmas period due to the impact of the latest Covid variant and mixed messaging from government which has driven away custom during what is normally the busiest time of the year."
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