The Northern Ireland Executive signalled a further set of relaxations to coronavirus restrictions on Thursday.
From May 24, subject to review on May 20, ministers have decided to reopen unlicensed and licensed premises indoors with mitigations.
Mitigations include permitting up to six people to sit together in these bars and restaurants, removing the restriction on the number of households they can be from.
The Executive stressed again the importance of contact details for test and trace.
Here is everything announced by Stormont on indoor hospitality. Share your views by taking our short survey.
Conditions for the reopening of indoor bars and restaurants
- Children under 12 are not counted in the 6
- Table service only
- More will be permitted if all are from one household, to a maximum of 10.
- All contact details must be taken and retained.
- Social distancing required – minimum of 1m.
- Must stay at table – no gaming machines, pool tables, etc.;
- Face coverings must be worn once no longer seated for any reason, for example, to go to the toilet
- No meal requirement
- No dancing
- No live music
- Music must be at ambient level to permit normal conversation
- Risk assessment as per current regulations for outdoors
Reo pening of the remainder of tourist accommodation
The indoor licenced areas will be covered as above.
The other conditions that will apply are:
- All contact details must be taken and retained
- Rooms/accommodation area booking in line with the permission re indoor domestic settings/bubbles
- Shared facilities will reopen
- Meeting rooms will be reopened - capacity will be to risk assessment maximum.
Post wedding and civil partnership events :
- Risk assessment for capacity
- No restriction on top table
- Other tables maximum of ten (no household restriction)
- Children under 12 excluded from table numbers
- One dance permitted for the couple
- Music same as for licenced venues
Other hospitality events e.g. gala dinners, functions, ticketed or not:
- Capacity to risk assessment maximum.
- Subject to other indoor hospitality requirements e.g. table seating, contact details, music etc.
- Conference facilities in tourism sector – the closure will be removed from the regulations to allow use for other purposes to risk assessment capacity.
As a result of the changes to tourism, the restriction on staying overnight away from your normal home is also being removed.
