Four Week “Circuit Breaker,” Announced for Northern Ireland

The new Restrictions announced by the Northern Ireland Executive will apply for four weeks as of Friday. They include:

• Current household restrictions on meeting indoors and limit in garden, exceptions for childcare etc. are to be maintained
• Bubbling is limited to ten people from two households
• No overnight stays in a private home unless in a bubble
• People should work from home unless unable to do so
• Guidance will advise universities and colleges to encourage distance learning where possible with only essential face to face learning taking place where the subject demands
• Closure of hospitality sector apart from deliveries and takeaway and this will close at 11:00 pm
• Other takeaway premises will be brought into line with hospitality and will also close at 11:00 pm
• Retail is to remain open however there will be urgent engagement with the sector to ensure everything being done to suppress the virus
• There will be no indoor sport of any kind, or organised contact sport involving household mixing
• No mass events involving more than 15 people except for allowed outdoor sporting events
• Gyms may remain open for individual training only with local enforcements in place
• Places of worship will remain open with the mandatory requirement to wear face coverings where entering and exiting – this not apply to parties to marriage or civil partnership
• Wedding ceremonies and civil partnerships are limited to 25 people with no receptions and this will be implemented on Monday 19 October
• Off licenses and supermarkets not permitted to sell alcohol after 8:00 pm
• As regards Education, the half term holiday break will be extended from 19-30 October with schools re-opening on Monday 2 November.

See the NI Direct website for further information on the current Covid-19 restrictions in Northern Ireland.

Take action now

Live Music continues to be effectively banned by the Executive, you can read more about it in the open letter that the MU wrote and published in response.

Members in Northern Ireland are encouraged to join us by writing to their MLAs in support of the music industry and the musicians who make it.

We’ve created a template letter you can use to write to your MLAs. Remember to include how you are affected by the coronavirus pandemic – personal stories make all the difference.

Take action now.