Coronavirus update

Venues and services information

• Venues and facilities

  Belfast Zoo

  The zoo is closed to the public. You can contact Belfast Zoo (link opens in new window) by emailing info@belfastzoo.co.uk or calling 028 9077 6277.

  St George's Market

  St George’s Market is closed to the public.

  Smithfield Market

  In Smithfield Market only essential service traders are open to the public.

  Sports pitches, pavilions and facilities

  From Saturday 26 December, our sports pitches are closed for six weeks. From Saturday 2 January, pitches can only be used by schools for PE or by elite athletes. Pavilions and changing rooms are closed.

  Our MUGAS, outdoor gyms, tennis courts, Bridges Urban Sports Park and City of Belfast Golf Course are closed for six weeks from Saturday 26 December.

  Mary Peters Track is closed to the public but is open for elite athletes from Saturday 2 January. 

  Community centres

  Our community centres remain open for childcare, anchor tenants' urgent access and bookings for essential services. All other bookings are cancelled.

  Leisure centres

  All Better leisure centres are closed from Thursday 24 December.

  Closures include:

  Belfast Castle and Malone House

  Malone House (link opens in new window) and Belfast Castle (link opens in new window) are closed to the public.

  You can contact Belfast Castle by email bcr@belfastcastle.co.uk or Malone House by email mhreception@malonehouse.co.uk to discuss any current or future bookings. 

  City Hall

  • City Hall public tours
  • City Hall exhibition
  • City Hall functions and event

  More venues

  • Tropical Ravine and Palm House
  • ICC Belfast (Waterfront) (link opens in new window)
  • Ulster Hall (link opens in new window)
  • Cecil Ward Building including Consumer Advice Services, Belfast Planning Service and Bereavement Services Office

  Parks

  Our parks are open. But it is important that everyone observes social distancing in our parks.

  • Find more information about our parks

  Events

  Visit our events page for updates.

• Cemeteries, cremations and burials

  Cemeteries

  • Find out about the opening hours of our cemeteries

  Burials and cremations

  Burials are taking place, but there are restrictions on burial arrangements at our cemeteries. From 26 December 2020, funerals are limited to 25 people. This includes clergy or officiants and children under 12 years old. The chapel and facilities at City of Belfast Crematorium are closed to the public. A brief service or eulogy may be held outside the Crematorium building.

  • Read about these measures
• Births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships

  Currently there are restrictions on marriage and civil partnership ceremonies.

  We have allocated two rooms in City Hall to accommodate couples who are having ceremonies while still maintaining social distancing.

  • Read about our current arrangements for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships, and how to make an appointment
• Council services

  Some of our Environmental Health Services are suspended, but you can use our email addresses for any urgent queries. We will monitor these during office hours and deal with queries on a priority basis. We are unable to carry out visits to premises, unless it is an emergency, and will always consider the safety of staff and members of the public.

  For our dog warden service, email dogwardens@belfastcity.gov.uk or for animal welfare, email animalwelfare@belfastcity.gov.uk

  • Find out more about dog control and animal welfare's limited service

  For port health, email porthealth@belfastcity.gov.uk  (or you can call 028 9035 1199)

  For Houses in Multiple Occupation, email nihmo@belfastcity.gov.uk

  For other urgent queries including: 

  • food safety
  • health and safety
  • pollution control
  • noise
  • off street parking
  • public health
  • housing

  email envhealth@belfastcity.gov.uk. For emergencies outside normal working hours, call 07850 499622.

  Pest control

  Our pest control service is operating on a limited basis. We can only offer appointments for outdoor calls in response to rats.

  • Read more about our pest control service
• Building Control, Planning Services and Licensing

  Building Control inspections, licences and permits

  You can:

  • find out more about how building control is affected
  • find out more about how licences and permits are affected

  Planning Service

  • Find out more about how our Planning Service is affected
• Bins and recycling centres

  Find out more information about changes to waste services and what to do with coronavirus waste

  Our recycling centres are open seven days a week.

  • View recycling centre updates
  • View civic amenity site updates

Business advice and support

• Business advice and support

  We offer free, confidential support and guidance to businesses on how to keep staff and customers safe. Call our advice line on 028 9027 0565 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, to speak to an adviser. You can also email covid19businessadvice@belfastcity.gov.uk and an adviser will respond within one working day.

  Hospitality businesses can contact us by email at hospitalitysectorrecovery@belfastcity.gov.uk with queries about licensing and measures to help the business function in a viable way.

  For guidance on maintaining drinking water quality following temporary closure of premises, visit the DAERA website. (link opens in new window)

• Business restrictions, safety guidance and advice

  Coronavirus business closures

  During coronavirus (COVID-19), by law certain types of services, businesses and shops must close their premises to the public. We’re responsible for enforcing closures and restrictions for shops and businesses, which do not need a licence to operate. The police enforce closures of licensed premises.

  Premises we can inspect

  Our environmental health officers can investigate complaints about health and safety in:

  • offices (except government offices)
  • hairdressers and barbers
  • beauticians and nail bars
  • shops and retail outlets
  • hotels
  • restaurants
  • leisure centres
  • nurseries and playgroups
  • pubs and clubs
  • privately-owned museums
  • places of worship
  • sheltered accommodation and care homes

  We can inspect and enforce health and safety law in these premises. If you’re concerned about health and safety, including social distancing in these premises, you can contact us by email: envhealth@belfastcity.gov.uk   

  Reporting concerns about social distancing in the workplace

  If you’re concerned about unsafe work practices in workplaces such as manufacturing and construction, you should contact the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. They can investigate complaints that social distancing advice is not being followed.

  • Complaints about unsafe and unhealthy work activities (link opens in new window)

  To find lists of businesses which are subject to restrictions, go to:

  • Coronavirus business closures and restrictions (link opens in a new window)
• Localised Restrictions Support Scheme

  This scheme provides financial support to businesses which have to close or have had their business activities curtailed by health protection restrictions that the Northern Ireland Executive has put in place. To read about the scheme, go to Localised Restrictions Support Scheme (link opens in new window).

• Workplace safety guidelines and social distancing

  If your business can continue to operate, you must follow workplace safety guidelines and social distancing (link opens in new window) to protect the safety and health of everyone in your workplace, including your customers and others visiting the premises.

  Businesses must review their risk assessments and put in place measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Public Health Agency (PHA) guidance (link opens in new window) should be considered as part of the risk assessment. An example of a COVID-19 risk assessment is available on the Health and Safety Executive NI Website (link opens in new window).

  Detailed guidance and advice for businesses

  Check trusted sources for information: 

  Guidance from the Public Health Agency (PHA) (link opens in new window)

  Guidance for employees, employers and businesses (GOV.UK) (link opens in new window)

  Advice on safety measures in the workplace  (HSENI) (link opens in new window)

  Guidelines for food businesses (GOV.UK) (link opens in new window)

  Food delivery and takeaway guidance (CIEH) (link opens in new window)

  Sources of guidance and support on the impact of COVID-19 (NI Assembly) (link opens in new window)

  Guidance for employers and businesses on managing Legionella. (link opens in new window)

• Reporting issues and concerns about businesses

  Complaining about social distancing

  Depending on the type of business, if you're concerned about social distancing in business premises, you should contact us by emailing envhealth@belfastcity.gov.uk or the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) by emailing mail@hseni.gov.uk or calling 0800 0320 121.

  Reporting concerns about unsafe workplaces

  If you are a member of public concerned about unsafe work practices in a shop, an office or a warehouse, you can contact us by emailing envhealth@belfastcity.gov.uk.

  Concerns about unsafe work practices in other types of workplaces such as manufacturing and construction sites should be reported to the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland by emailing mail@hseni.gov.uk.

• Call for businesses to supply ventilators and ventilator components

  As part of the government response to COVID-19, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is seeking UK businesses and organisations to design, manufacture or supply ventilators and ventilator components, and those who have, or provide, medical training or logistics capabilities.

  If your business or organisation can help, find out more and register (link opens in new window)

Enforcement and regulation

• Complying with the regulations

  Our staff have been working with businesses and providing guidance around compliance, as well as operating a dedicated helpline for businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

  We are jointly responsible for enforcing the regulations with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

  Officers from our compliance team visit businesses and investigate complaints to ensure compliance with the Coronavirus (COVID) regulations.

  Our primary aim is to encourage businesses to comply with the regulations but if necessary, and in the interests of public health and safety, our officers will use the full range of enforcement powers available to them in line with our enforcement and regulation policy.

  Under the COVID regulations, inspectors can take enforcement action in the form of a fixed penalty notice, a prohibition notice and/or a premises improvement notice.

  1. A fixed penalty notice is a fine for committing an offence, starting at £1,000 to a maximum of £10,000.
  2. A prohibition notice requires a business to immediately stop an activity that is contravening the requirements of the coronavirus law.
  3. A premises improvement notice requires a business to take action to comply with the requirements of the coronavirus law within a specified time.

  • Find out more about premises improvement notice

  Further information on the requirements of the Coronavirus regulations can be found at www.nidirect.gov.uk (link opens in new window).

  If you are concerned about a business that may not be complying with the Coronavirus regulations you can contact us by email envhealth@belfastcity.gov.uk. 

Advice and support for residents

• Belfast community support

  We are working with community, voluntary and statutory providers in Belfast to make sure that our residents’ needs are supported throughout the pandemic.

  • Find out more about Belfast community support
• Advice for pet owners

  We are advising animal owners to make sure their pets are kept under control during coronavirus (COVID-19). This can help to keep members of the public safe, and allow social distancing guidance to be followed. 

  We ask that dogs are kept on a lead when out in public, and for dog owners to check their pets are secure when they are at home to minimise the risk of straying. 

  • Find out more about dog control and animal welfare