Covid-19: Northern Ireland to enter four-week lockdown

Northern Ireland is going into an intensive period of restrictions for four weeks, the North's First Minister Arlene Foster confirmed in the Stormont Assembly on Wednesday.

With the incidence of Covid-19 continuing to spiral upwards and with pressure on hospital beds Ms Foster told Assembly members that the hospitality sector will shut down for four weeks from Friday while schools will close for two weeks from Monday

Ms Foster made her announcement on a day when a record 1,217 confirmed new coronavirus cases were reported by the North’s health department, bringing the total number of cases since the outbreak of the pandemic to 23,115.

There were four more deaths, taking the total to 602.

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There are now 164 people being treated for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland hospitals, with 24 in intensive care units and 17 of them on ventilators.

The North’s intensive care units are now under capacity pressure. There are a total of 106 ICU beds with all but thirteen of them occupied by Covid and other patients.

The North's health Minister Robin Swann said that because of "rapidly escalating pressures" that the temporary Nightingale Covid hospital located at Belfast City Hospital is to become fully operational again.

That facility closed in May due to a decrease in the incidence of the virus.

Border counties

In the past seven days there were 6,693 confirmed cases of the virus in Northern Ireland, close to 1,000 per day.

The highest number of cases relative to population continues to be in the Derry and Strabane area. The department reported 222 cases in the area on Tuesday with 287 cases in Belfast and 162 in Mid Ulster. The lowest number of daily cases at 32 was reported in the Mid and East Antrim Council area.

Derry and Strabane over the past seven days experienced 992 cases of the virus per 100,000 of population which is double the next highest area, Belfast with 486 cases per 100,000.

With Tánaiste Leo Varadkar signalling the southern Border counties could face tighter restrictions, Ms Foster made clear that she too doesn't want any avoidable cross-Border or other travel.

In announcing the restrictions in the Northern Assembly she advised against all "unnecessary travel".

The PSNI also is discussing how to enforce the new regulations, and is waiting for more detailed information from the Northern Executive before commenting on the changes.

Under the new rules, takeaways and deliveries will be allowed but pubs and restaurants must close for a four week period, said Ms Foster.

Off-licences and supermarkets will not be allowed to sell alcohol after 8pm.

Churches can remain open but weddings and civil partnerships will be limited to 25 people. Receptions will not be allowed. This will apply from Monday.

Funerals will be limited to 25 people with no pre or post funeral gatherings.

No indoor sport of any kind or organised contact sports will be permitted other than at elite level.

Gyms may remain open for individual training only. Universities will be advised to provide “distance learning to the maximum extent possible”.

Retail

Ms Foster also told the Assembly that the retail sector will stay open. She added however that “close contact services such as hairdressers and beauticians are not permitted to open, apart from those relating to the continuation of essential health interventions and therapeutics”.

She hoped further support measures for those affected would be agreed by another meeting of the Northern Executive on Thursday.

The schools’ closure is expected to affect more than 2,000 students from the Republic who attend schools north of the Border. According to census figures from 2016 there were 2,299 students from Southern Border counties travelling to schools in the North at that time.

Ms Foster said: “We understand that these interventions will be hard but they will not be in place for a moment longer than they need to be. I would ask everyone to work with us to save lives and protect our health service.”

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill added: “We know this is hard and that people will be really worried about their livelihoods, but we will do everything we possibly can to make sure there are protections in place for families, workers and businesses.”