All remaining covid-19 restrictions in NI to be lifted from tomorrow

Author: Emma DicksonPublished 14th Feb 2022
Last updated 14th Feb 2022

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann confirms all Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted across Northern Ireland from tomorrow (Tuesday 15th February 2022).

Restrictions will be moved from regulation to guidance after the Ministers lays an order in the Assembly tomorrow.

The current Covid 19 regulations would have been in place until 24 March, when the legislation underpinning them expired.

The Health Minister made today’s announcement having received the latest public health assessment from the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser.

In a statement, Mr Swann said: “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.

“That means all of us continuing to do our best to cut down risks of infection and transmission. It means looking after each other by following the public health guidance. It must always be remembered that taking unnecessary risks with COVID may affect people who are particularly vulnerable to the virus.

“So please do not jump the gun and start behaving as if the pandemic is over. That is not the case.

The Minister continued: “Coronavirus is likely to stay with us in some form for some time. We cannot maintain emergency restrictions indefinitely. 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.”

The COVID restrictions that are being removed in law are ⬇️

Requirements in respect of shops:

  • Risk assessment
  • All reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission

Requirements in respect of theatres, concert halls, conference and exhibition centres and other indoor venues used for performance, conferences or exhibitions:

  • Risk assessment
  • All reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission
  • Collection of visitor information

Requirements in respect of hospitality venues, including those outdoors under an occasional licence

  • Risk assessment
  • All reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission
  • Collection of visitor information

Requirements in respect of tourist accommodation:

  • Collection of visitor information

Requirements in respect of any organised indoor gathering over 15 or outdoor gathering over 30:

  • Risk assessment
  • All reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission

Requirements in respect of funerals and wakes

  • Compliance with DoH Guidance on funerals

Requirements in respect of weddings and civil partnership ceremonies

  • Collection of visitor information
  • Restriction on meeting indoors at a private dwelling or at a rave (30+ people)

Requirements in respect of close contact services:

  • Collection of visitor information

Requirement to wear a face covering in enclosed public areas of premises; restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs; public transport; driving instruction; close contact services

Requirement to use COVID Certification in nightclubs and indoor unseated gatherings of 500+

Look back at Northern Ireland's Covid-19 journey ⬇️

December 2019

The first case of Covid-19 was discovered in Wuhan, China and reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December 2019.

January 2020

Chinese state media reported the first known death from Covid-19 on 11 January 2020. The city of Wuhan was closed off by Chinese authorities on 23 January 2020, cancelling all transport entering and leaving the city. In January, the WHO also declared Covid-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

February 2020

February was when the virus started to receive real global recognition. It was officially named Covid-19 by WHO, and countries around the world started to report cases and deaths. Italy reported Europe's first major outbreak and had to use tents to treat surging numbers of patients as hospitals ran out of room.

March 2020

UK Governments introduced a national lockdown from 23 March 2020, instructing people to "Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives", after the UK reported its first official death from Covid-19 on 2 March 2020. Cities around the country appeared deserted. In late March the United States became the worst hit country with the most reported cases at that point.

April 2020

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was taken into intensive care with Covid-19 on 6 April 2020. Worldwide, cases topped one million and deaths passed 200,000. April also saw the first peak of the virus in the UK.

June 2020

England and Scotland made face coverings mandatory on public transport in June, while Northern Ireland and Wales followed suit in July. Face coverings then became mandatory in shops in each nation, with Scotland and England introducing the rule in July, Northern Ireland in August and Wales in September.

September 2020

In September, the official global death toll reached 1 million. However, the official figures are thought to greatly understate the number of people who have actually died from Covid-19. In the US alone, Covid-19 deaths surpassed 200,000.

December 2020

The UK became the first country in the world to approve a vaccine against Covid-19 for use in December. Vaccinations began on 8 December 2020, when 90-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first person outside of a clinical trial to receive the jab. Later on in the month, the UK approved a second vaccine, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. However, it wasn't all good news, as a new variant of Covid-19 was also discovered in December, which was much more transmissible than the original strain.

January 2021

In January 2021, the mass vaccine roll out began across the UK. However, all four nations all went back into full lockdown as the UK entered a second wave of the virus, with the peak surpassing that of the first wave in April.

February 2021

At the height of the third lockdown, the first cases of the South African variant came to dominate diagnosed Covid cases in the UK.

March 2021

March saw the one-year anniversary since the first lockdown. Stormont ministers met to discuss the first stage of lockdown restrictions easing, including the return to schools and 'click and collect' for non-essential items

April 2021

Northern Ireland was given a list of dates for reopening...
23rd April - Hairdressers and beauty salons, outdoor attractions, driving lessons and outdoor sport
30th April - Non-essential retail, self-contained tourist accommodation, outdoor hospitality

May 2021

The 'stay local' messaged was removed on May 24th as well as indoor hospitality and indoor gyms. The need for quarantine when traveling within the UK and Ireland was removed also.

June 2021

In June, the Delta variant – first discovered in India – became the dominant strain of coronavirus and drove a third wave in infections across the UK.
The NI Vaccination programme was ramped up, which included opening the SSE Arena for walk-in first time slots.

July 2021

Live music given the green light from July 5th.
As Northern Ireland enters a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Health chiefs opened pop-up vaccination stations across Northern Ireland, including Custom House Square.
Department of Health launched a new COVIDCertNI app enabling users to show proof of vaccination for international travel.

August 2021

People who are close contacts of positive cases no longer had to isolate for 10 days, as long as they test negative and have had both jabs of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Northern Ireland recorded its highest number of daily Covid cases since start of pandemic - 2,397 confirmed cases

September 2021

While the number of confirmed Covid cases worldwide surpassed 7 million, the UK was emerging from the pandemic. The furlough scheme, brought in at the beginning of the pandemic, was formally ended – funding £70 billion of people's wages.


From Friday 10th September indoor gatherings of up to 15 from 4 households was allowed, table service removed, dancing was permitted at weddings, restrictions on music levels lifted and ticket requirements revoked.

November 2021

Cases began to rise across the world as the newly named Omicron variant spread rapidly across the world. Flights were stopped to southern African nations including South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The Department of Health launched a new domestic use verification app, providing an easy way of checking NI Covid-19 vaccination 'domestic use' certificates.

December 2021

New restrictions came into place designed to suppress rising case numbers amid the spread of the Omicron variant. Working from home was advised, hospitality dropped back down to a max 6 people, LFD tests were taken before attending events.

January 2022

Lockdown restrictions brought in from Boxing day were eased on Jan 26th - including nightclubs reopening and the removal of table service.
There was a travel update too, fully vaccinated travellers arriving from non-red list countries into Northern Ireland no longer need to take a Covid-19 test or self-isolate.

February 2022

All remaining Covid-19 restrictions lifted across Northern Ireland on Tuesday 15th February 2022.

March 2022

Travellers are no longer required to take tests or complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) arriving into Northern Ireland.

Read more:

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