Reopening in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Lockdown Exit Plan
Below is a recap of the information now available for reopening in Northern Ireland.
|
|
The Key Facts
Outdoor visitor attractions (which include farm parks) can reopen in phase 2, alongside the ‘stay at home’ message being relaxed.
The first Comprehensive Formal Review will be held on 16 March and subsequent dates are 15 April, 13 May and 10 June. The NI Executive does not expect the current picture to change significantly before Easter. Their next consideration of potential relaxations will therefore take place in mid-April.
The full document is available here, however, you may find the executive summary easier to consumer. Page 10 relates to visitor attractions.
|
|
The Nine Pathways
Visitor attractions fall under the Travel and Tourism pathway. The full 9 pathways are; Home and Community, Sports and Leisure Activities, Work, Education and Young People, Worship and Ceremonies, Retail and Services, Culture, Heritage and Entertainment, Travel and Tourism, and Hospitality.
The five phases:
- Lockdown Restrictions
- Cautious First Steps
- Gradual Easing
- Further Easing
- Future
Phase 1 - (Lockdown Restrictions) includes:
- Contact limited to own household and support bubble
- Up to six people from two households can meet outdoors but not at a private dwelling
- Indoor and some outdoor visitor attractions closed, all indoor seated venues closed
- Theatres and concert halls can open for rehearsal and recording
- 25 guest limit at civil partnerships, marriages and funerals – pre and post gatherings are not permitted
- Essential travel only
- All tourist accommodation closed, with exceptions
- Only essential retail is open.
- Non-essential retail, including Click and Collect is closed, as well as close contact services
- All hospitality is closed, except for takeaway sales. There is an 11pm curfew on takeaways.
Phase 2 - (by the end of this Cautious First Steps phase) includes:
- Stay at Home message relaxed, up to six people from two households can meet outdoors at a private dwelling. Up to ten from two households can meet outdoors (not at a private dwelling)
- All outdoor visitor attractions re-open
- Increased numbers at indoor and outdoor civil partnerships, marriages and funerals with a risk assessment
- Public transport capacity increases within limits of social distancing requirements
- Relaxation of restrictions on workplace attendance. Working from home where possible remains the recommended approach.
- Click and Collect for non-essential retail is allowed
- Curfews will be lifted on takeaway
- Premises where alcohol cannot be consumed open with table service, six people from two households
Phase 3 – (by the end of this Gradual Easing phase) include
- Wider range of outdoor learning will resume, as well as Extended School activity
- Indoor visitor attractions, including heritage sites reopen. Low risk activities including rehearsal and practice can take place.
- Leisure centres and all indoor sports facilities reopen, including swimming pools and gyms. Indoor group activities and classes can also resume.
- Leisure activity venues reopen, including soft play
- Indoor activities for children can resume with accompanying responsible adults allowed to attend
- Receptions can take place with mitigations and limited numbers. Pre- and post-funeral gatherings can take place, with mitigations and limited numbers.
- Caravan sites open, but shared facilities remain closed
- Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs reopen, with mitigations
- Public transport returns to full service, with mitigations
- Phased return to on-site work and office spaces. Seminars and meetings can take place.
- All non-essential retail now open. Off-sales curfews lifted.
- Close contact services can resume, with mitigations
- Premises where alcohol can be consumed, excluding wet pubs, open with table service, for six people from two households
Phase 4 – (by the end of this Further Easing phase) include
- School clubs, FE colleges & university student extracurricular and support activities and youth services resumed
- Seated venues, including theatres, concert venues and cinemas reopen
- Amateur and youth performance activity can take place, with mitigations
- Outdoor organised events can take place, with limited numbers
- Limited number of both indoor and outdoor spectators allowed
- No upper limit on numbers for pre and post-gatherings for civil partnerships, marriages and funerals - determined by venue risk assessment
- Limited live music at receptions
- Hostels, bunkhouses, campsites and other accommodation with shared facilities open
- Campus accommodation for tourism purposes open
- Hotels can offer wider range of services beyond accommodation & meals, e.g. beauty treatment in a hotel spa
- Revised risk assessments allow more workplaces to reopen. Work conferences can resume.
- All close contact services open without appointments, with remaining mitigations
- Increased in-store capacity in all retail
- Wet pubs open with table service, 6 people from 2 households
- Limited entertainment relaxations
Phase 5 – (preparing for the future) include
- Household limits lifted in private dwellings. Organised outdoor gatherings are limited only by risk assessment and mitigations.
- Larger outdoor organised events, concerts and festivals can take place
- Further indoor and outdoor spectators allowed
- Further mitigations relaxed for pre- and post-gatherings for civil partnerships, marriages and funerals. Live music, entertainment and dancing at reception allowed.
- Preparing for the full return of leisure travel
- Workplaces fully reopen
- All retail and close contact services open with reduced mitigations
- Bar service permitted in wet pubs. ‘Six from any’ relaxed.
- Live entertainment in hospitality venues is allowed.
- Nightclubs open.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
