It has been confirmed this morning that additional restrictions will come into force across Northern Ireland from Friday 16^th October. No detail in relation to support for businesses impacted has been announced this morning. The Executive will meet again tomorrow and will outline details of what support may be available.

Newry BID is here to support all our members and will continue to keep you updated as further information comes through.

Key details include:

• Closure of the hospitality sector, apart from deliveries and takeaways from Friday 16^th October for four weeks
• Other fast-food and takeaway premises to close at 11pm
• Off-licences and supermarkets will not be permitted to sell alcohol after 8pm
• Close contact services such as hairdressers and beauticians are not permitted to open, apart from those relating to the continuation of essential health interventions and therapeutics.
• The retail sector will stay open at this time. Further engagement is planned to ensure that the sector does everything it can to help suppress the virus. We will seek further details on these measures and closures.

Further implications include:

• Schools will take an extended half term break from 19^th– 30^th October, reopening on Monday 2^nd November.
• Mobile hairdressers and make-up artists – also classed as close contact services – prohibited from working in homes
• Gyms to remain open for individual training but no classes permitted
• No indoor sport or organised contact sport involving mixing of households, other than at elite level
• The current restrictions on household mixing remain as they are. Bubbling to be limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households.
• Wedding ceremonies and civil partnerships to be limited to 25 people with no receptions.  This will be implemented on Monday 19 October.  Venues providing the post-ceremony or partnership celebration this weekend may remain open for this purpose but may not provide other services for people who are not part of the wedding or partnership party and this will be limited to 25.

And the following advice will be added to the existing health guidance:   

• Work from home unless unable to do so
• Universities and further education to deliver distance learning to the maximum extent possible with only essential face to face learning where that is a necessary and unavoidable part of the course
• No unnecessary travel should be undertaken.