A publican has said that Northern Ireland's new changes over Covid-19 rules is “hopefully the beginning of the end”.

Pat Blake, of Blake’s of the Hollow, was speaking to The Impartial Reporter as legal regulations for Northern Ireland around the wearing of masks changed to guidance, rather than law.

Pat said: “While I welcome the ending of the restrictions, we’re erring on the side of caution; staff will continue to wear face masks at busy times, and will take appropriate precautions in an effort to safeguard both themselves and our customers.”

Acknowledging that the coronavirus is still an ongoing threat, Pat said: “The virus is still rampant and is still a threat to customers, particularly those who may have underlying health problems.

"Until such times as our hospitals are empty of Covid patients, The Hollow staff will continue to follow public health guidance, and we encourage our customers to do the same.”

Looking to what is a hopefully brighter future, Pat said: “We’re almost there, so it’s not that big an imposition to heed the guidelines for another, optimistically, short period of time.

"Business is slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels. Public confidence in going out to pubs and restaurants is increasing. The return of visitors to Enniskillen and Fermanagh in general will further boost trade and make up, to some extent, for the trade lost over the past two years.”

Pat's comments follow the change from 5pm on Tuesday evening that saw all Covid-19 legal restrictions in Northern Ireland replaced by guidelines.

Despite the change, the move saw Minister for Health Robin Swann reiterate the continuing need for caution and vigilance in relation to the virus.

Of the change, Mr. Swann said: "It moves our response against Covid into a new phase. With the reduced threat from the Omicron variant, we can move away from an emergency and legalistic framework to a new approach, where making safer choices is embedded in our daily lives.

“So please do not jump the gun and start behaving as if the pandemic is over – that is not the case," he warned.

“A large part of what we currently do to protect ourselves is already covered by guidance, rather than regulations.

"This includes self-isolating when infected, and taking lateral flow tests before meeting up with others.

"The guidance will continue to emphasise all the steps that we should keep taking to protect each other.

“I will, of course, keep the situation on regulations under ongoing and detailed review. We cannot rule out a new variant emerging down the line, with new interventions being required. I very much hope that will not be the case.”

Looking to the retail sector, a spokesperson for ASDA said: “As we have throughout the pandemic, we are following government advice in all of our stores.

"Whilst masks are no longer mandatory, we are asking customers to still consider wearing one in crowded spaces, and we will have face masks available for anybody who would like one.”

When asked for clarification if staff would also wear masks, a spokesperson said: “ The same [goes] for colleagues – we’re following the government guidance, and providing masks should colleagues wish to wear one.”

The following are the changes and new guidelines that are now in place:

  • The legal requirement for people to wear face coverings in settings such as shops and on public transport has ended.
  • The importance of wearing face coverings in health and social care settings and in enclosed indoor settings will continue to be strongly emphasised.
  • While Covid status certification will no longer be legally required in any settings, hospitality and entertainment venues will still be encouraged to use it
  • Businesses will also no longer be required to undertake coronavirus-linked risk assessments or collect track and trace information from customers.
  • Self-isolation guidance upon infection is not changing.