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Northern Ireland\u2019s coronavirus infection rate is still too high to ease lockdown restrictions, Stormont\u2019s leaders have said.<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland\u2019s coronavirus infection rate is still too high to ease lockdown restrictions, Stormont\u2019s leaders have said.<\/p>\n
Ministers in the power-sharing executive agreed on Thursday to extend the current regulations enforcing social distancing for a further three-week period.<\/p>\n
First Minister Arlene Foster said there may be \u201cminor\u201d adjustments to the rules next week.<\/p>\n
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The total number of coronavirus deaths in Northern Ireland is now 422, up four on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Total confirmed cases rose to 3,984 on Thursday, up 50 on the previous day.<\/p>\n
Ministers also held further discussions on the region\u2019s coronavirus recovery plan but did not finalize the blueprint.<\/p>\n
They hope to publish a plan setting out a phased recovery next week.<\/p>\n
At the Executive meeting, the coalition administration also agreed to issue advice to people in Northern Ireland to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where they encounter challenges with social distancing.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said there is agreement around the Executive on the shape of the recovery plan and the decision to extend the regulations.<\/p>\n
The two leaders also discussed the UK-wide picture on a call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster said the region\u2019s reproductive rate (RO) \u2013 the number of people an infected person infects \u2013 is currently at 0.8.<\/p>\n
She said that is higher than some areas in England it needs to be driven down before the region can move to relax measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not yet as far below one as we would like it to be,\u201d she told the daily Covid-19 briefing at Stormont.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we recognize that our approach needs to be flexible and adaptable to change.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext week, we will consider a number of minor adjustments to the restrictions and indeed to their interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said she knew people would be \u201cdisappointed\u201d by the announcement but she said the region is still on a \u201cknife-edge\u201d in efforts to suppress the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still very much in the response (stage), we\u2019re still in the fightback against Covid-19 but we\u2019re also in the space where we\u2019re planning for the recovery,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s the light at the end of the tunnel which we know that everybody wants to be able to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we reviewed all the regulations, we reviewed everything that we\u2019ve been asking you to do right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we did that based on the scientific evidence that was available to us and all the medical evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThat means that we\u2019re not in a position today that we\u2019re able to move on any of those regulations or we\u2019re not able to relax anything at this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still on a knife-edge in terms of our fightback.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Executive\u2019s decision to advise the use of face coverings, Mrs Foster the move is designed to increase community confidence.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cNow it is important to differentiate between the use of face masks manufactured for a clinical setting and face coverings which are often homemade or natural clothing items used by individuals in day to day life.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we are focused on face coverings.\u201d<\/p>\n
While there has been speculation the UK Government may be planning to change the emphasis of its messaging away from stay at home, Mrs O\u2019Neill said that is still very much the line in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message should be stay at home, the message is stay at home and that needs to continue here and there can be no room for confusion, we don\u2019t need a confused picture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster predicted Boris Johnson will not shift significantly from that message when he makes his address, suggesting some media outlets in London had \u201cexaggerated\u201d what will be announced on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the Prime Minister will be moving dramatically away from that stay at home message, that is certainly what I got from him on our call today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n