Industry body Hospitality Ulster has recommended to the minister that guidance limiting late-night opening, music and dancing should be replaced with legislation. This would give businesses statutory protection when enforcing the rules and allow venues to remain open safely.
The second set of results from NISRA’s Covid-19 opinion survey was published on Thursday. The findings are based on 1,785 interviews with members of the public carried out between April 21st and July 23rd 2020. More than 300,000 people in the North were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment as of June 30th, an increase of just over 4,000 people compared to the end of March and almost 12,000 more compared to this time last year.
Almost 100,000 people are waiting for admission to hospital for treatment, with the number of patients waiting more than 13 weeks for admission to hospital for treatment rose to 88.8 per cent or 86,337 people, compared to 71.4 per cent as of March 31st and 66.7 per cent on June 30th 2019. Mr Swann said tackling coronavirus necessitated a “virtual lockdown” of normal health and social care services which has had “an inevitable and serious impact on waiting lists that were already far beyond being unacceptable.”