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Northern Ireland\u2019s lockdown exit strategy offers a \u201ccareful, cautious and hopeful\u201d plan for charting a journey out of restrictions, Michelle O\u2019Neill has said.<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland\u2019s lockdown exit strategy offers a \u201ccareful, cautious and hopeful\u201d plan for charting a journey out of restrictions, Michelle O\u2019Neill has said.<\/p>\n
Outlining the Pathway to Recovery plan to the Stormont Assembly, the Deputy First Minister said the region would turn a corner in the battle against Covid-19 in 2021, but she stressed \u201cwe are not out of the woods\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a day very much of hope,\u201d said Ms O\u2019Neill.<\/p>\n
Executive ministers signed off on the strategy earlier on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
It focuses on nine key areas \u2013 retail, hospitality, education and young people, work, culture, heritage and entertainment, sports and leisure, travel and tourism, worship and ceremonies, home and community.<\/p>\n
Each will emerge from lockdown in stages. The stages are lockdown, cautious first steps, gradual easing, further easing, and preparing for the future.<\/p>\n
The blueprint does not include any target dates, with ministers instead insisting decisions on moving between stages will be based on scientific and medical evidence, not the calendar.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said the Executive wanted to avoid a cycle of lockdowns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must do everything we can to try to make this one the last lockdown, with the underpinning insurance policy that this Executive will take the steps needed to protect the health service,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking all these factors together, we can take some tentative preparatory steps towards the lifting of restrictions. But great care is still needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why the Executive has agreed today a careful, cautious and hopeful approach to existing restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said the plan built in time between phases of relaxations to provide space to examine evidence on the prevalence of the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat time will be used carefully to look at the results of the regular modelling and assess if it is safe to take the next step,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur aim is to find a safe, secure, sustainable and understandable way forward for our citizens, sectors and businesses. And we will be hopeful, optimistic and realistic in our pathway.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Deputy First Minister said she understood that people wanted hope but she said they also realized that the journey out of lockdown had to be careful.<\/p>\n
\u201cHope and care are equally important and that requires a balanced approach,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said the Executive\u2019s plan was \u201crisk-based\u201d, driven by health, community and economic data and analysis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not be driven by hard dates,\u201d she insisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognize that everyone will be looking for certainty but we do not want to set potentially unachievable dates that will only disappoint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said the Executive would be \u201copen and transparent\u201d in its decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will keep everyone up to date and we will explain our thinking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping restrictions in place will only be done if that is necessary and proportionate to the threat we face from Covid-19.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said the administration was also focused on economic and societal recovery.<\/p>\n
The Sinn F\u00e9in vice president said co-operation with the South and governments in Great Britain was important.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are willing to learn from what works best elsewhere and we are willing to share our experiences here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said she hoped everyone would be able to find some comfort in the strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Pathway does not seek to take us back to where we were before the pandemic, and it recognizes that there will be some adaptations in our lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill stressed that the Executive was committed to getting education back as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
She said the stay-at-home message continued to remain important.<\/p>\n
The Deputy First Minister concluded: \u201cWe have hope for this year, and we will get there together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Executive will review the progress of the pathway every four weeks.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland\u2019s lockdown and accompanying stay-at-home message is currently in place until April 1st.<\/p>\n
Ministers had been due to review that policy on March 18th but that date has now been brought forward to March 16th.<\/p>\n
The Executive has already outlined plans for a phased return of face-to-face learning at schools.<\/p>\n
Only vulnerable children and those of key workers have been attending classes in mainstream schools since January.<\/p>\n
P1 to P3 primary school children will return to school on March 8th, and on March 22nd secondary school children in key exam years \u2013 years 12-14 \u2013 will go back to class.<\/p>\n
On that same date, the P1 to P3s are currently due to revert to home learning for one week ahead of the Easter holidays \u2013 to mitigate the impact on infection rates of the secondary school cohort\u2019s return.<\/p>\n
However, officials from the departments of health and education were asked last week to examine that aspect of the plan and First Minister Arlene Foster has expressed hope that those primary pupils will ultimately be able to remain in school that week.<\/p>\n
No date has so far been given for the return of the wider school population.<\/p>\n