Stormont Executive eases coronavirus restrictions

From Friday, the requirement to remain seated and the limit of six per table at hospitality venues will be removed.

The cap on the number of households meeting inside domestic settings will be removed from the same date.

The requirement to provide proof of exemption from wearing face coverings will also be removed from Friday, and the guidance on working from home will revert to working from home where you can.

The Stormont Executive has also agreed that nightclubs will be permitted to open from noon on Wednesday January 26.

From the same date, dancing and indoor standing events can resume, and in workplaces the requirement for offices to take reasonable measures for two-metre social distancing will also be removed.

The legal requirement for Covid certification will continue in nightclubs and indoor unseated or partially seated events with 500 or more.

For other settings the certification will no longer be required but its use encouraged.

Remaining Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland will be reviewed by the Stormont Executive on February 10.

These include the legal duty on retail to take reasonable measures to reduce the risk of transmission, the legal requirement to wear face coverings and the legal requirement for risk assessments in prescribed settings.

They also include the legal requirement for recording visitor information in prescribed settings, the remaining legal requirements in relation to Covid certification, and guidance on the use of lateral flow testing in particular before meeting others.