North-west venues hit by new virus restrictions

Hospitality outlets across the Derry and Strabane council area have suffered a fresh blow following the announcement of new, tighter restrictions by the NI Executive.

With Covid-19 detections surging across the north-west, where the R rate is now at least 2, First Minister Arlene Foster said yesterday (Thursday) that hospitality outlets would now be limited to outdoor dining, takeaways and deliveries while hotels can only provide services to residents, those who have weddings booked and funeral teas. Wet pubs are now only able to serve customers outdoors.

The restrictions were announced along with a package of additional measures including a ban on organised indoor gatherings, new limits on indoor and outdoor sporting events and the closure of museums, galleries and cultural attractions.

Mrs Foster acknowledged that the measures would come as a ‘hammer blow’ to businesses and said that discussions were already underway around the level of support that could be offered.

Hospitality Ulster chief, Colin Neill described the new regime in the north-west as ‘a devastating blow’ and predicted that it would cause the closure of many businesses.

The announcement came as two further NI deaths from Covid-19 were confirmed. Almost 2000 people here have tested positive for the virus within the last week. The Derry City and Strabane council area is now among the worst regions in the UK for infections – the number of cases there per 100,000 people is almost three times the NI average.