Restrictions to lift in Northern Ireland: Nightclubs in NI will open their doors from October 31

Dancing will be allowed and customers will be able to move freely around hospitality venues.
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From Sunday. October 31, 2021 social distancing in bars and restaurants in Northern Ireland will be lifted, allowing nightclubs to open their doors.

Restrictions on dancing are also being removed, with people being allowed to take to the dancefloor for the first time since the global pandemic.

Stormont executive ministers met earlier today to review restrictions and are expected to give an official update later on.

People in Northern Ireland will be able to take to the dance floor from Sunday, October 31.People in Northern Ireland will be able to take to the dance floor from Sunday, October 31.
People in Northern Ireland will be able to take to the dance floor from Sunday, October 31.

What about face masks?

Face masks will be kept mandatory in some settings.

Ministers were advised that changing legislation to allow face masks to be used with guidance could have a knock on effect and lead to the decline in use.

What about meeting people inside your home?

From Thursday 14 October rules allowing 15 people from four households to meet in a house will be scraped.

This means that there will be no regulations on how many people can enter your home.

Are there changes to indoor events?

From Thursday, October 14, 2021, anyone attending an event at an indoor venue will not have to stay seated and will be able to stand.

This is great news for many live music events and current festivals on in Belfast, including the Belfast International Arts Festival.