WHILE many of the North of Ireland’s Coronavirus lockdown measures have been eased, other relaxations have been held back.
The four devolved nations are able to take their own decisions on the timing of relaxations.
Here is a guide to what is still not allowed under the regulations and what might change soon.
Pubs that do not serve food
Also referred to as “wet bars” or drink-only pubs, they have not yet been allowed to open.
An indicative date of 10 August had been set for their reopening, but that was then pushed back to 1 September.
But on August 26, the executive announced that it could not give the green light due to “increased transmission” of the virus in the North of Ireland.
Private members’ clubs are not allowed to open yet either.
The executive has now given the sector a new indicative date next Monday, September 21 to reopen, but this will need to be ratified closer to the time.
Theatres, nightclubs and concert halls
The Playhouse in Derry still hasn’t opened to the public
They had been given an indicative date of September 1 to resume business but on August 26 , the Stormont Executive said it could not ratify the move due to the level of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.
Theatre venues and concert halls had been allowed to resume rehearsals with staff from August 8.
No date has been agreed yet to allow nightclubs in the North of Ireland to reopen.
Conference halls inside hotels and indoor venues are also still not permitted to operate.
Spectators at sporting events
Although competitive sport was allowed to resume from July 11, it was initially conducted behind closed doors.
Current guidelines from the executive state that spectators can attend outdoor sporting venues “where the operator can control access and ensure adherence to social distancing”.
The Irish Cup Final at Windsor Park on July 31 was the first match in the UK since March to be attended by fans, with 500 supporters watching on.
The GAA have said up to 400 people, including essential match personnel, will be allowed to attend some GAA matches in the North of Ireland.
Soft play areas
Soft play areas Soft play are allowed to reopen from today, Monday, September 14, after an original reopening date of August 7 was pushed back.
Open-air museums
They have been told by the executive to prepare to potentially reopen in late August but no specific date has been confirmed yet.
The executive maintains all of the restrictions lifted so far are also subject to change and that they are kept under constant review.
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