Nightclubs in the North of Ireland have been shut since March 2020 over Coronavirus
Nightclubs are also to be allowed to reopen, meaning legal restrictions on dancing in venues will be scrapped.
Restrictions will be lifted from Sunday, October 31.
On that date, customers will also now be able to move around all hospitality premises freely again and dancing is permitted again.
A number of mitigations have been agreed and it is thought businesses will be asked to check for vaccine certificates, but this will not be a legal requirement.
Ministers have also agreed to retain the mandatory wearing of face coverings in certain settings.
Ministers were advised that moving legal regulations on face coverings into guidance would lead to a 30 per cent decline in their use.
The industry had argued that social distancing requirements were damaging trade.
Stormont Executive ministers met earlier to discuss easing Coronavirus restrictions, with an official announcement expected later.
Under existing rules, social distancing of at least 1m (3ft) remains a legal requirement in pubs, bars and restaurants in the North of Ireland.
From Thursday, October 14, the restrictions on the number of people allowed to meet inside a home – currently 15 from four households – is to be lifted.
From that date, people attending performances at indoor venues will not have to be seated during the performance.
In September, the executive agreed to end social distancing restrictions for shops, theatres and a number of other indoor settings.
They asked some sectors to put in place mitigations including proof of double vaccination or a negative lateral flow test.
But this is advice and is not legally enforceable.
Last week, Health Minister Robin Swann warned that a delay by the executive in agreeing a vaccine passport policy had limited options for easing more restrictions.
But it is understood that there is still no firm proposal from the executive office or Department of Health for such a scheme to go ahead.
Ministers also discussed a bid from Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey for £55m in funding to mitigate the end of a £20 weekly uplift for people claiming universal credit.
Stormont received an extra £180m from the Treasury in September and that money has yet to be distributed.
The expectation was that most if not all of that money would go on health spending.
Tags: