Indoor hospitality in Northern Ireland to reopen on Monday

Indoor hospitality will be able to reopen in Northern Ireland on Monday 24 May, the final country in the UK to be able to do so following reopenings in England and Wales earlier this week.

Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, welcomed the confirmation and said: “This has been a difficult and draining period for everyone within the hospitality industry and today’s announcement will bring hope to businesses, with people getting back to work and livelihoods restored for many across the sector.”

However, he added that it was not ‘job done’: “With extensive restrictions still in place, many businesses will still struggle to break even, let alone make a profit. It is vital that we see these restrictions removed as soon as possible and engagement from the Executive as we begin the long road of rebuilding what was Northern Ireland’s fourth largest private sector employer, pre-Covid”.

Neill said that attention must now turn to the reopening of music venues and event spaces: “Immediate focus is required on the programme for their reopening and the resumption of our famed music scene.”

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