Covid-19: Reopened nightclub 'energy was like nothing I'd witnessed'

Nightclubs in Northern Ireland reopened on Sunday

"It's really special... you're kind of back to normal whereas before you couldn't really be yourself."

That was the view of one young person, among the many queueing to get into Lux nightclub in Belfast on Sunday, as a party atmosphere descended even outside the building.

For these revellers, there was real cause for celebration - for the first time in a year and a half, the dancefloors of nightclubs across Northern Ireland were able to welcome people after Covid-19 restrictions were eased.

There was relief too for nightclub owners.

Allen Gordon said he was smiling "from ear to ear" watching clubgoers return to the Kremlin

Allen Gordon, manager of the Kremlin nightclub in Belfast, said reopening was "a real mixed bag of emotions".

"It was just electric," he told BBC News NI.

"Everybody just looked to be having the best time and I had a smile from ear to ear just watching people dance, reconnect, meet old friends, new friends and just have a good time."

Conor McAuley, who runs Halo nightclub in Ballycastle, County Antrim, said it was even better than expected.

"The energy in the room was like nothing I'd witnessed before, in the nearly 12 years we've had Halo open," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"It was great to see people sharing moments out with friends, making new friends, dancing on the dancefloor, mingling."

The rest of the hospitality sector has been gradually reopening since April, and the enforced closure of clubs was one of the few remaining restrictions.

Face coverings are still required for most public indoor settings in Northern Ireland, but nightclub customers are able to take their masks off on a dancefloor.

Mr McAuley said that club owners are "just delighted to be at the point where they deem us ready, as a society, to get out there and enjoy ourselves".

He said that while vaccination status checks are not compulsory, many customers brought proof of vaccination.

"I was working on the door at the start of the night and it was very heartening to see the amount of vaccination cards on the back on people's phone cases and in their purses and wallets when they were producing ID," he said.

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Stormont ministers were divided over whether clubs should be ordered to restrict entry to people who have proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test.

Alliance leader Naomi Long and Nichola Mallon from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) were among the ministers who called for vaccine certificates to be made a legal requirement for nightclubs.

However, they were outnumbered when the issue was discussed in Northern Ireland Executive meetings.

Instead, vaccine status checks on entry to nightclubs are now suggested as one of a number of Covid safety measures which clubs can take as part of government guidance, rather than being a legally enforceable regulation.

The vaccine checks are on a list of "recommended mitigations" which venues are strongly advised to implement, which includes safety measures like good ventilation, protective screens and hand sanitising stations.

The legal requirement for social distancing in all hospitality settings, including pubs and nightclubs moved to guidance only from Sunday.

Social distancing is strongly advised but is not a legal requirement

Feargal Shannon, manager of Industry Nightclub in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, said his team understands that "our job is trying to keep the nightclub safe".

"We'll be following all the relevant government guidelines but keeping the experience as close to what it was as possible," he told BBC News NI.

"It can't be exactly the same, but we'll do our best to make it as easy as we can for people."

Northern Ireland is the last part of the UK to allow nightclubs to reopen.

Nightclubs in England reopened in July, a move which was closely followed by Scotland and Wales in August.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that vaccine passports would needed to enter nightclubs in England by the end of September, but the government later scrapped that plan.

The Republic of Ireland, which was slower and more cautious than the UK about lifting its most recent coronavirus lockdown, permitted nightclubs to reopen last weekend.

However, customers are required to show proof of vaccination on entry and must book tickets at least an hour before arrival to prevent queues building up outside venues.