Coronavirus: NI businesses welcome relaxed rules for Christmas

The business community has welcomed comments from the first minister that there will be no further Covid-19 restrictions before Christmas.

Non-essential retail and some parts of the hospitality sector can reopen next Friday, the NI Executive agreed on Thursday.

Pubs that do not serve food will have to remain shut.

But health professionals have warned there will be an increase in transmission due to the eased rules.

Many hospitality businesses, including restaurants, cafes and hotels, can resume trading but must be closed at 23:00 GMT each day.

"We're trying to make sure people have a good Christmas and can come together in a safe way," First Minister Arlene Foster said on Thursday.

The DUP leader said guidance would be issued for several sectors so that they could operate safely, and said there was a need to provide more financial support to drink-only pubs.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill described the relaxations as "measured" and would allow people to move around "a bit more freely", but acknowledged it came with a risk.

The executive agreed on Thursday that:

The chief executive of Newry Chamber of Commerce welcomed a safe reopening of non-essential retail.

Colm Shannon told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that there will be longer opening times in the area and council staff will be on the high street, to help with the flow of people.

He said that "personal responsibility" was also important, urging shoppers to "respect the guidelines that are in place".

"We have these two weeks now to try and recover some of the grounds but we do need to think about the future as well.

"We know that post-Easter, and the spring and summer as well, there will be an opportunity to recover and I think the executive needs to start thinking now about the future of the high street.

"We shouldn't wait until the spring, we need to start planning that now," Mr Shannon added.

But owners of drink-only pubs have criticised the executive for the decision to keep them shut.

West Belfast bar owner Gerard Keenan has only opened his business for three weeks since March.

"We kind of knew that was going to happen but up until the point that somebody tells you, it's still a bitter pill to swallow," said Mr Keenan.

"It's just the future, I'm worried now about the future, but I'm grateful now that we're getting some financial help."

He described the situation as "brutal", adding "the stigma now that's attached to wet pubs, it's killing us".

Dr Tom Black, the Northern Ireland chairman of the British Medical Association, said the easing of the restrictions appeared to be a "pragmatic decision".

"It is a calculated risk because when you have a holiday period and people meet up the transmission of the virus increases," he told the BBC's The View programme.

"We will have in the health service in Northern Ireland a very busy time in the first three weeks in January, that seems inevitable.

"We will be sitting down to a banquet of consequences with increased admissions to hospital and more people in intensive care."

The latest medical and scientific advice given to ministers indicates that the R-number - the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus to - is about one.

A vaccine will be available in Northern Ireland from next week, after the UK drugs regulator gave approval in record time.

In other coronavirus related developments: