Covid-19: Hospitality sector should not seek cross-border trade

Outdoor hospitality, including self contained accommodation, can reopen in Northern Ireland on Friday

The hospitality industry should not seek or promote cross-border business while there is a disparity in Covid vaccination numbers, Health Minister Robin Swann has said.

Outdoor hospitality, including self-contained accommodation, can reopen in Northern Ireland on Friday.

But no reopening dates for the sector have yet been announced in the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Swann was speaking in the assembly on Monday.

The minister, responding to a question from Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) colleague Alan Chambers, said the health regulations in the Republic of Ireland were clear.

Those resident in the Republic can travel within their county or up to 20km (12.4 miles) from home.

"There's also an onus, not just on the guards (Irish police) and PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland), but also those within the hospitality industry not to be actively promoting or seeking cross-border business trade at this minute in time while there is such a disparity in vaccination rates on either side of the border," Mr Swann said.

The Republic of Ireland, which is about a month behind Northern Ireland in its vaccination programme, has been in what has been described as the "longest lockdown in the world" and there is pressure to reopen society, particularly from the hospitality sector.

Some restrictions were relaxed from Monday, with non-contact sports such as golf and tennis able to resume, with training sessions in other sports for those under-18 allowed in groups of 15.