BUSINESSES last night warned that the "confusion of this week can’t be repeated" after Executive ministers finally came to agreement over Northern Ireland's lockdown restrictions.
The Federation of Small Businesses NI (FSB) said "crystal clear guidance" was now needed ahead of the new time-line for re-opening set by ministers last night.
Many businesses had voiced frustration that it had taken Stormont ministers four days to agree to the easing of the current circuit-break lockdown.
The new regulations mean close contact services and unlicensed premises can reopen next Friday and the rest of the hospitality sector will be permitted to open on November 27.
The restrictions have been in place since October 16, with businesses facing the uncertainty all week of not knowing if they would be allowed to open when the current lockdown measures were due to expire tonight.
While the FSB NI last night welcomed the announcement by the Executive, it said the decision should have come sooner.
"This decision should have been made a week ago - welcome that it provides a roadmap to re-opening," it said.
"Businesses need support rapidly and crystal clear guidance about the time and date when they can open.
"The confusion of this week can’t be repeated."
Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster said the decision "brings to a conclusion a period of uncertainty and will hopefully result in thousands of jobs and businesses being saved".
"Our members will do everything they can to make sure they reopen successfully and safely in little over two weeks’ time," he said.
Glyn Roberts of Retail NI, also said: "Whilst this package of restrictions is far from perfect, at least we have a decision from the Executive that will give some certainty of opening for hospitality and close contact businesses.
"This decision provides a roadmap for the reopening of our high streets for the Christmas period and increased footfall for local retailers.
"Retail NI will also be pressing the Executive on appointing Covid-19 marshalls and establishing public hand sanitisers in our town centres as well as package of support measures to support our high streets throughout the Christmas period."
But hotelier Bill Wolsey called for more guidance on the re-opening of the hospitality sector.
"I'm hoping that when we open on the 27th it will be without curfew," he told the BBC.
"We are hoping we will be able to open to 1am as normal.
"I am disappointed that cafes and restaurants can't open at the same time - it's treating the population as if we are children.
"So you can to a cafe and eat a pizza but if you to a restaurant beside it that serves pizzas and has a licence, you can't go in.
"That is absurd."
It came after two of his Belfast bars, The Dirty Onion and The National, had announced they would reopen today amid the earlier Executive deadlock.
A statement from the bars on Facebook said: "Enough is enough, we are opening tomorrow (Friday)."
But it then emerged that the current regulations expire at midnight tonight, not Thursday.
Revised legal advice was given to ministers on Wednesday night, which meant businesses were working to the wrong time-line around when the circuit-break would end.
The department clarified the legal position around the closure of hospitality businesses and close contact services after consultation with the Departmental Solicitor's Office.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "Executive ministers last night received revised legal advice that the deadline for the current restrictions on hospitality and close contact businesses is midnight on Friday November 13, and not tonight".
