Health

Reopening gets underway in Northern Ireland on Friday

Many bar owners say they cannot reopen after being told outdoor areas do not conform to requirements

A number of bar owners say their outdoor areas, now judged to be too enclosed, have not changed from what was permitted to open following the easing of the first lockdown last year. File photograph: iStock

Thu Apr 29 2021 - 20:27

Outdoor hospitality, non-essential retail, gyms and swimming pools are set to reopen across Northern Ireland on Friday.

But a number of bars say they will not be able to reopen after being told their outdoor areas do not conform to requirements.

Many bar owners say their outdoor areas, now judged to be too enclosed, have not changed from what was permitted to open following the easing of the first lockdown last year.

Outdoor premises should not be more than 50 per cent enclosed, according to health guidance.

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The Executive Office issued a statement on Thursday evening, insisting there had been “no change to the definition of indoor and outdoor areas which applied last year”.

Local councils are inspecting hospitality premises in their respective areas. In a statement, Belfast City Council said it had a “statutory obligation to ensure compliance within the coronavirus restrictions, set by the NI Executive”.

The North’s Minister for Finance Conor Murphy said the issue was discussed at a meeting of the Executive on Thursday.

“We’ve asked that people in the Executive’s taskforce, the First and Deputy First Minister’s office to engage with Belfast City Council and to make sure that people do understand,” he said.

“We want people to be able to open tomorrow, we want hospitality for the outdoors to be back, we want retail to be back and there is no desire to put any additional obstacles in anyone’s way.”

Conall Wolsey, director of the Beannchor Group, said that of 12 premises, only two could open on Friday within the guidelines.

Meanwhile, there have been no further deaths of patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

The North’s Department of Health said there had been an additional 95 cases of the virus confirmed in the last 24-hour reporting period.

On Thursday morning, there were 61 Covid-19 inpatients in hospital, with eight classified as intensive care patients. - PA

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