Executive announce some easing of Covid-19 Restrictions

As part of the Stormont Executive's roadmap to recovery some easing of Covid-19 restrictions have been announced.

Many council recycling sites reopened yesterday with restricted hours and now socially distanced gatherings of up to six people will be permitted while places of worship can also be reopened for acts of individual prayer

Under the terms of the Executive’s five step roadmap to recovery, First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill announced:

• Churches and other places of worship will be allowed to reopen their doors for individual prayer, provided they can adhere to all social distancing and public hygiene requirements.
• Drive-in religious services will also be permitted – provided people remain in their cars and the proper social distancing and hygiene advice is followed.
• Drive-in cinemas will also be allowed. Concerts and live theatre may also be facilitated but those attending must remain in their cars and adhere to the social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
• Outdoor activities that do not involve shared contact with hard surfaces will be permitted.
• Outdoor gatherings of up to six people not from the same household will be allowed but everyone must adhere to social distancing and public health guidelines.
• Councils will be authorised to act as enforcement bodies with regards the safe operation of not just their own household waste facilities but sites where certain types of exercise is permissible.

First Minister Foster commented: “The relaxations that we have announced today have been made possible by the vast majority of you faithfully following the public health advice on self-isolation, on shielding, on social distancing and on limiting your activities in public and washing your hands thoroughly. They have been hard won freedoms and it is vital that when you exercise those freedoms you do it in a way that does not put anybody else’s safety at risk. As we move through the lifting of restrictions under Step 1 of our roadmap, we must proceed cautiously and adhere to public health advice. That is going to allow us to open up more freedoms in due course but you should remember if you are exhibiting the symptoms of Coronavirus, then you need to self-isolate.”

Deputy First Minister O’Neill added: “It is exactly two months today since we had our first Coronavirus related death here and while we are making good progress and we have come a long way, we certainly aren’t out of the woods yet. We have repeatedly cautioned the public not to become complacent because this virus is still among us and it is still a deadly virus and it is still taking the lives of individuals. We are working slowly and carefully to ease our way out of the lockdown, to restart community life and reboot the economy, to keep people in work and keep society functioning.”

The leaders of Ireland's main churches released a statement welcoming the move. "As Church Leaders, we appreciate the recognition in this recovery plan of the importance of the local church, and public worship, in the lives of many people. A great flourishing of creativity and a strong community spirit has enabled local churches to continue to provide pastoral care and social outreach in spite of the restrictions, but there is a strong desire to increase the level of pastoral contact where that can be done safely. In particular, we are keen to respond to the appeals from those who find great comfort in visiting their church for private prayer, from couples who are anxious that they can proceed with their marriage ceremony and from parents who wish to have their child baptised.“

The statement continued "At the same time, we are conscious that the Christian call to be good neighbours is a call to civic responsibility in the protection of public health. As outlined in the Executive’s recovery plan, partnership across all sectors of society, in solidarity with the most vulnerable, will be critical to minimising the threat of Covid-19, which is likely to be with us for some time. In our churches, we are currently undertaking risk assessments and putting in place response plans that reflect the unique circumstances of each local context and will be sustainable in the long-term. We are very grateful for the efforts of those who are leading this work on behalf of their congregations."

Health Minister Robin Swann has also  announced Covid-19 testing will now be made available to all care home residents and staff next month across Northern Ireland.

The roll-out of testing to all residents will be completed next month and a rolling testing programme for staff in all care homes will be put in place. 

Minister Swann explained: “Testing right across the care home sector is easier to demand than to deliver. It has always been my intention to over-deliver rather than to over-promise. Following detailed planning and preparatory work, I can now confirm that testing will be available to all residents and staff.”

The Minister added that in delivering additional testing, his officials had had to address important sensitivities such as the human rights of residents who may not consent to being tested or not be able to give their consent because of dementia.  

He said: “The swab test for Covid-19 can be an unpleasant and intrusive process, so there are also issues in relation to subjecting frail older persons to swabbing, particularly in homes where there are no outbreaks. I am confident a way forward will be found on these issues, in close consultation with care home staff, residents and their family members.”

At present in Northern Ireland, care home staff and families have access to testing if they have symptoms. All staff and residents are also tested in homes when two or more people - staff or residents - have symptoms, as this is a possible outbreak scenario. Testing is underway for all residents and staff in homes where there have been previous outbreaks that have not been resolved.