There was frustration across Fermanagh on Friday (April 30) as a number of pubs, bars and restaurants that were set to reopen with outdoor space were told at the eleventh hour that their premises did not comply with the coronavirus restrictions.

Molly's Bar in Irvinestown, The Lough Inn and Culley's Bar (The Roadhouse) in Enniskillen are just a few of the Fermanagh hospitality establishments that took to social media to announce the "devastating news" that they were no longer able to open after being informed that their premises did not meet the criteria that is being enforced by the Government.

Mahon's Hotel in Irvinestown were to open up their back car park as an outdoor restaurant on Friday but after being visited by the PSNI earlier in the week, these plans were put to a halt.

"We had a marquee at the back of the carpark but we had an inspection by the police there last Tuesday, the police and the council, and they told us that the carpark wasn't licensed so we couldn't serve drink in the marquee," explained Joe, noting that they were disappointed because a lot of people had booked tables which had to then be cancelled.

Not to be disheartened, Joe and the Mahon's staff instead decided to open an outdoor café on a paved area to the side of the hotel that was covered by their license.

Talking about the success of Pavement Café, Joe said: "In the Pavement Café we were able to serve food and drink.

"It's worked out really well, it's turned out a great job. The telephone box in the middle of it is a bit of a feature," continued Joe, adding that the Pavement Café was "packed out Friday and Saturday".

However, the bad weather on Bank Holiday Monday put a slight dampener on things.

"There was no point opening on Monday the way the weather was. The phone never stopped ringing [with people asking] was it open but on account of the weather we didn't open," said Joe, who hopes to have the café back in full swing this weekend.

At the end of last week, Pat's Bar in Enniskillen announced that they had made the decision not to reopen on Friday evening after having a consultation on Thursday (April 29) with representatives of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and the PSNI.

On Friday morning, owner Michael Cadden told The Impartial Reporter that "at the minute it just isn't sustainable moving forwards to open".

Speaking to this newspaper on Tuesday (May 4), Michael commented on the "lack of clarity across the board" as some premises were able to open over the weekend whilst other, similar establishments were not.

He explained that a massive concern for him now is the proposed reopening on May 24. "We are going to be dealing there with another set of rules, another set of clarifications, which I have already encountered in previous reopenings. They might well be in complete juxtaposition to what they are currently telling us.

"As a specific example, the dividers between our booths which would preclude us from opening under the current conditions, if I was to remove them, they will make them not applicable under the May 24 reopening conditions. It's just lunacy," said Michael, who is hoping to receive more clarification from the Council and PSNI later this week.

PSNI Licensing Inspector Scott Fallis told The Impartial Reporter on Friday (April 30) that police have been working with partners, including the Council Environmental Health team, to carry out checks at premises across Fermanagh "to ensure our community can socialise in a safe environment".

“Our officers have been, and will continue to, engage with licensees to ensure they are all adhering to their responsibilities as required under the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) Regulations and the Licensing (NI) Order 1996.

“We will continue to engage with licensees around potential breaches and, where appropriate, advice and guidance will be provided to ensure the continued safe delivery of services. Our approach continues to centre around the four Es - engage, explain, encourage and, if necessary, enforce.”