To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the actions taken by the COVID-19 Task Force which inhibit the reopening of hospitality businesses as their premises did not comply with new regulations.

The Executive announced on 29 April 2021 that there was no change to the definition of indoor and outdoor areas for licenced and unlicensed premises reopening on 30 April 2021.

The definition of ‘enclosed’ and ‘substantially enclosed’ comes from the smoke-free legislation from 2007 and is directly referenced in the regulations. This was the same definition that was in place in July 2020. The position remains that the general rule of thumb is that outdoor premises should not be more than 50 per cent enclosed.

The Executive’s COVID Taskforce and officials in the relevant departments engaged extensively with different sectors in advance of relaxations coming into operation on 30 April. Further engagement was undertaken with the hospitality sector, following concerns raised by the sector, to explain the position and try to ensure consistency of approach, including engagement with local government partners to support businesses to allow them to operate in line with the regulations.

Information on the current COVID-19 Regulations and what they mean can be found on nidirect at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-regulations-guidance-what-restrictions-mean-you