Plea over nightclubs and concerts as furlough comes to an end
Representatives of Northern Ireland’s concert and nightclub industry have urged the Executive to review social distancing restrictions and give them a full re-opening date for those venues still closed.
With furlough ending there is a very real fear for the future of these industries and their staff if the Executive fails to act when it meets this week.
Venues including the SSE Arena, Oh Yeah Music Centre, The Limelight and Voodoo have now collectively spoken out about the need for a full re-opening date coinciding with the relaxation of all remaining restrictions on concerts, nightclubs and licensed premises.
Adrian Doyle, Head of Experience Operations for The Odyssey Trust, owners of The SSE Arena, Belfast said: “We were pleased to get up and running with our first events last weekend but despite the recent relaxations there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
‘Willingness and commitment’
“We still must implement social distancing in our hospitality areas, which has had a significant knock-on effect on queues for catering units and toilet facilities and led to increased staffing costs that are not sustainable. Standing concerts and events are still not possible either.
“As an industry, we have shown our willingness and commitment to operate safely through Covid status certification and we will continue to do so, when other regulations are removed. It is imperative that social distancing is reviewed on October 7th, and a timeline for the removal of the remaining restrictions is provided, so businesses can plan ahead, and jobs and livelihoods can be preserved.”
Nightclub events and standing concerts have both been totally disallowed since March 2020 under Covid restrictions, with no indicative reopening date, despite the rest of the UK now being fully re-opened and the Republic of Ireland set to do likewise on October 22.
Colin Neill, above. Chief Executive of Hospitality Ulster added: “It is imperative that the Executive makes a decision now – we cannot continue with no plan and no support for the hundreds of businesses and thousands of staff that are desperate to know their fate. After months of speculation about Covid passports for hospitality, we still do not know if they are planned and what they would entail.
“Hospitality businesses cannot withstand additional measures on top of the punitive restrictions that already exist. Equally they cannot endure the current situation, if the Executive cannot or will not make a decision of the removal of restrictions then they must step in and support the industry which is Northern Irelands fourth largest private sector employer.”
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