Our response to latest Covid announcements - Northern Ireland

Angela McGowan, CBI Northern Ireland Director, said:

"NI firms will be hopeful that we are finally starting to turn the corner on Covid-19.

"Removing indoor hospitality restrictions will come as a big relief to those companies desperate to start trading their way to recovery after a difficult festive period. The decision to limit the vaccine passport scheme to nightclubs will also be welcomed by NI’s significant food, drink and tourism sectors as we head into Spring.

"Employers have consistently prioritised the safety of staff and customers throughout the pandemic and will continue to ensure we can live safely with the virus through base line measures, like increased hygiene, vaccines and free mass testing. However, companies remain certain that the Executive should lift the ongoing work from home guidance in full.

"There’s still a job to be done on repairing confidence and demand in the NI economy. Omicron has pushed back the recovery for some key sectors, so the focus must now be on how we can safely live with the virus, grow the economy and stimulate investment."