RESTAURANTS, pubs and cafes should know on Monday when exactly they can start serving up meals, pints and lattes again - subject to the Executive signing off on a paper prepared by Diane Dodds.
The economy minister went walkabout in her home town yesterday as non-essential shops reopened for business after nearly three months, visiting long-established traders including Donaghy's shoe shop and Quail's butchers, which have been trading in Banbridge since 1960 and 1898 respectively.
Mrs Dodds confirmed that she has "an indicative date in mind" for the wider hospitality sector to begin trading again, although she refused to hint how close it might be to the Republic's much-heralded resumption date of business on June 29.
But she said that if her ministerial colleagues gave her blueprint the green light, a date could be revealed as early as Monday.
"I don't want to be presumptuous, because it's an Executive decision. But I've worked tirelessly with the industry in recent days and want to give them sufficient time to prepare," she told the Irish News.
"Of course, everything remains predicated on health advice.
"But we can't let hospitality remain in limbo and in the uncompetitive position where a customer can have a coffee or a meal out just a few miles down the road from where we're standing," the minister added.
Previously the hospitality industry said it would require a lead-in time of up to six weeks to prepare for trading, as suppliers will need to be able to gear up their processes and production to supply businesses.
But many business are already making adjustments to their premises, awaiting the starting gun on a date, and could conceivably open in a much shorter time-frame.
Dozens of shops in Banbridge, a town famed for its many independent retailers, had their shutters up for the first time in months yesterday.
They showed the minister measures they have taken to ensure they are safe for staff and customers, having adapted measures such as perspex screens at tills, signs and floor markings, and procedures for cleaning.
And traders in Banbridge said that although footfall was still considerably down on pre-pandemic levels, it was "a reasonably good day for trading, weather aside."
