As of today, the 1 of November, events and restaurants are permitted to return to pre-COVID distances, as long as they restrict entry to a maximum of 300 fully vaccinated people.

Chris Fearne, health minister, had announced that the rules would change in November and now, the latest mitigation measures published by the government on Saturday have confirmed the new rules.  

According to the new regulations, for restaurants and seated events where entry is restricted to vaccinated people, social distancing is finally a thing of the past. According to the released measures, the distance between tables can be that of pre-COVID times, and the number of people sitting around a single table is not limited.

This marks the first time since March 2020, that any sector or industry has gone back to what we refer to it as pre-COVID rules and time. That being said, mask-wearing will remain mandatory unless patrons are eating or drinking and those serving them or performing at events must also be fully-vaccinated.