We’re out of home again

[12 June 2020] This week marks a big step in the economic recovery from the covid crisis, with non-essential shops reopening. Car showrooms, retailers with on-street access and other non-essential businesses can now throw their doors open and get ready to welcome shoppers once more. This week we have seen retail shops across Republic of Ireland reopened to significant audiences, and we expect that high streets and retail districts across NI will experience similar.

However, the hospitality trade remains in anticipation of an announcement of when they might be able to reopen. The GlobalWebIndex Multinational survey also shows that the public are keen to see hospitality venues reopen, with 45% of UK respondents saying the reopening of cafes and bars was very or extremely important to them. Hotels and accommodation providers can operate from mid-July, saving our summer holiday plans, but bars and restaurants remain closed until further notice. When they do reopen, the topic of social distancing and how its maintained is sure to be a big one, but many proposals have been suggested. A popular discussion point seems to be the pedestrianisation of areas to enable outdoor eating and drinking, with Hospitality Ulster encouraging the introduction of ‘parklets’ and the use of otherwise unused social spaces to facilitate the trade. In Amsterdam, private dining pods have been set up by Mediamatic, a performance space and gallery. Guests can book a two or four person greenhouse to enjoy a socially distanced meal or night out. With our unpredictable climate, options to dine out but be inside, while staying outside, might be the solution the hospitality trade is looking for!