Swann warns hospitality not to promote cross-border trade

The hospitality industry  has been warned against promoting cross-border trade while there is a disparity in Covid vaccination numbers.

Outdoor hospitality, including self-contained accommodation, can reopen in Northern Ireland on Friday, April 30, but no reopening dates for the sector have yet been announced in the Republic.

Responding to a question in the Assembly, Health Minister Robin Swann said: “There’s also an onus, not just on the guards and PSNI, but also those within the hospitality industry not to be actively promoting or seeking cross-border business trade at this minute in time while there is such a disparity in vaccination rates on either side of the border.”

People living in the Republic can travel within their county or up to 12.4 miles from home.

At present, the Republic is about a month behind Northern Ireland in its vaccination programme, has been in what has been described as the “longest lockdown in the world” and there is pressure to reopen society, particularly from the hospitality sector.

Some restriction were relaxed on Monday, April 26, with non-contact sports such as golf and tennis able to resume, along with training sessions in other sports for those under-18 in groups of no more than 15.