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Stormont leaders have defended the relaxation of circuit-breaker restrictions in Northern Ireland at a time when daily death and infection numbers remain high.<\/p>\nStormont leaders have defended the relaxation of circuit-breaker restrictions in Northern Ireland at a time when daily death and infection numbers remain high.<\/p>\n
First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy first minister Michelle O\u2019Neill also pledged to take the Covid-19 vaccine in public as they urged people to stick with regulations set by the Executive until the jabs are rolled out across the region.<\/p>\n
The leaders of the power-sharing administration justified Friday\u2019s reopenings as health minister Robin Swann warned that a \u201cfestive free-for-all\u201d would be \u201ccatastrophic\u201d for the region\u2019s under-pressure hospital system.<\/p>\n
Shops and much of the hospitality sector are reopening after two weeks of strict measures to curb the spread of the virus. Pubs that do not serve food will remain closed.<\/p>\n
Cinemas, museums, galleries and gyms will reopen and normal church services can resume, with more people allowed to attend weddings and funerals.<\/p>\n
On the eve of the move, Northern Ireland recorded 14 new Covid-19-linked deaths on Thursday and 441 new cases of the virus.<\/p>\n
There have been 67 deaths in the last seven days \u2013 up seven on the previous week.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Stormont\u2019s chief scientific adviser warned that compliance with the circuit-breaker had not been at the level health chiefs had hoped for.<\/p>\n
During a post-Executive meeting press conference on Thursday, Mrs Foster and Ms O\u2019Neill were pressed on whether the relaxations were advisable given the infection and death rates.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster highlighted that data was reported with a lag and said she anticipated rates would soon begin to fall in response to the circuit-breaker measures.<\/p>\n
The DUP leader said the fact the reproduction rate of the virus (R) had dropped to \u201caround 1\u201d had given the Executive the \u201cheadroom\u201d to proceed with the reopenings.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafety is paramount,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe easing of the restrictions does not mean that there\u2019s any easing of the need for each person to follow the public health guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stressed there was no easing of restrictions on household gatherings and made clear relaxations on festive family get-togethers only came into force on December 23.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster said neither Professor Ian Young or Stormont chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride had raised concerns about Friday\u2019s relaxations at Thursday\u2019s Executive meeting.<\/p>\n
In reference to the non-compliance evidence presented by Professor Young, Mrs Foster said people were \u201ctired\u201d with Covid-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pleading with people, to stick with us and we know, we\u2019ve looked at the behavioral piece in terms of what\u2019s been going on, not just in Northern Ireland, but in other countries as well, and the longer that this goes on, the less adherence there is and that that is a real difficulty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019re just saying to people have personal responsibility for yourself, for your friends, for your family so that we can get to the stage where we can keep everybody safe with the vaccination program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said the decision to lift some of the relaxations reflected the need to balance public health and economic concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision to lift some of the restrictions, and obviously it\u2019s not all restrictions, is as a result of the conversation at the Executive and it\u2019s supported by obviously the public health team,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as with all these things the whole way through the pandemic we\u2019ve always tried to get a balance between protecting lives and protecting livelihoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we know how challenging this is for many people who\u2019ve lost their jobs, many families that are struggling to put food on the table as a direct result of not having an income coming in.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we know this is a very difficult situation for many people, so we\u2019re always trying to find that balanced way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
She urged people to stick with the regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t throw in the towel yet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not time. There is light at the end of the tunnel, there is a way through, the vaccine is here, it has started its rollout.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in the here and now the virus is still among us. It\u2019s out there among our community, among our loved ones. Please protect yourself, please protect your loved ones. Let\u2019s all try and have a healthy and happy and a safe Christmas, and let\u2019s make sure that we don\u2019t put that pressure on our healthcare workers who have been exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Safety guidance for the reopening of hospitality businesses was published on Thursday.<\/p>\n
No more than six adults from no more than two households are allowed at a table. Closing time will be 11pm at the latest.<\/p>\n
All outlets will also be required to collect the details of each customer to assist with contact tracing.<\/p>\n
Mr Swann said compliance was key.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we all want to enjoy the festive season, we must never get complacent about the Covid-19 threat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe virus is still circulating in our community and is still claiming lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of us has choices to make about our actions. If there is a festive free-for-all with public health advice ignored, then it will cost lives and place unbearable pressure on our hospitals. We must avoid these catastrophic consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n