- 23 April
- Close contact services, hairdressers and beauty salons, reopen
- Outdoors visitor attractions reopen
- 30 April
- All remaining non-essential retail to reopen
- Self-contained tourist accommodation, such as caravans and rented holiday homes, can operate
- Licensed and unlicensed premises can serve customers in outdoors settings in groups of six from no more than two householders
- Removal of curfews on takeaways and off licenses
- 24 May
- Licensed and unlicensed premises can operate indoors.
- Rest of tourist accommodation
- Domestic gathering indoors
- Indoors visitor attractions reopen
- Wedding receptions and post-burial events can take place in indoor hospitality venues
Hospitality industry ‘disappointed’ over reopening dates
The hospitality trade has expressed disappointment over the latest reopening dates for the industry in Northern Ireland.
The Executive decided on dates for further easing of Covid restrictions on Thursday April 15, but while outdoor hospitality and retail will reopen on April 30, indoor drinking and dining will not return until May 24 at the earliest.
Bill Wolsey, who has a portfolio of pubs, restaurants and hotels said: “Hospitality has always been the Cinderella industry here despite employing more than 65,000 people.”
“In 10 years it is predicted to be bigger that faming and engineering combined but here we are.
“I am glad we have dates but am disappointed that we are not moving at the same pace as England, Scotland and Wales.
“We were told this was about data not dates but the data for what we have in relation to others simply does not add up.”
Stephen Meldrum, general manager of Belfast’s Grand Central Hotel, echoed those sentiments, saying: “It is very disappointing that after the Executive announcement hotels will remain closed until May 24 at the earliest.
“Having already invested heavily in being COVID compliant, I firmly believe that we should have been able to re open much earlier, in line with many of the other devolved nations.
“We are being portrayed as being irresponsible, and this decision would indicate that many in the Executive have a lack of understanding of the perilous position this delay may place on our sector.
“It leaves me with having to further disappoint our valued customers at the Grand Central in telling them this awful news. Not to mention, being unable to reassure our loyal and patient team members who are ready and willing to get back to delivering great customer service and hospitality.
“With the great sense of hope we got last week with Northern Ireland reaching its vaccination milestone of one million, this announcement in stark contrast gives little hope to what has been, and continues to be an awful year.”
Reopening dates agreed by the Executive after a long day of debating, include:
.
Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill, above, said: “This movement by the Executive in bringing forward new dates which reflect the data is to be welcomed after the huge amount of anxiety was caused by the previous dates leaked to the media.
“There are still several weeks to go for outdoor to be opened and five weeks still to go for indoor hospitality, but we now have dates and a timescale to work with. Whilst these are indicative dates, especially for the reopening of indoor, it is hoped that the programme can be accelerated.
“Hope is now on the horizon and for those who have been able to survive this devastating period it is now time for them to prepare their businesses for the long awaited resumption of trading. It is now in everyone’s interest that we make sure that all precautions are taken to get us through these next few weeks safely.
“Our industry has spent millions of pounds on Covid secure measures and will reopen in a responsibly way, but any additional restrictions must allow businesses to operate on a sustainable footing to secure the future of the jobs depending on them.”
