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Coronavirus: Lockdown plan 'could be published on Tuesday' Coronavirus: Lockdown plan 'could be published on Tuesday'
(about 2 hours later)
A plan to take NI slowly out of lockdown could be published on Tuesday, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.A plan to take NI slowly out of lockdown could be published on Tuesday, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.
The executive will meet to discuss the document later on Monday. It could be published within 24 hours if signed off by ministers.The executive will meet to discuss the document later on Monday. It could be published within 24 hours if signed off by ministers.
They insist any changes to restrictions will be gradual and must be supported by scientific advice.They insist any changes to restrictions will be gradual and must be supported by scientific advice.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the first details of plans to ease lockdown in England.On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the first details of plans to ease lockdown in England.
Mrs Foster said devolution meant it was possible to have "localised solutions within a United Kingdom framework".Mrs Foster said devolution meant it was possible to have "localised solutions within a United Kingdom framework".
The Executive has already extended lockdown in NI until 28 May. Why is Northern Ireland taking a different approach?
'Not out of the woods yet' On Sunday, the prime minister emphasised a new "stay alert" slogan, as opposed to the "stay at home" message which had been promoted since the start of the lockdown.
The prime minister emphasised a new "stay alert" slogan as opposed to the "stay at home" message, but it has been rejected by politicians in Northern Ireland, who have continued to emphasise the original message. That move was criticised by politicians in Northern Ireland, who have continued emphasising the original campaign.
Mrs Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill took part in a call with the government's emergency Cobra committee, including the prime minister, on Sunday afternoon. As the infection has spread at different rates in various parts of the UK, Stormont ministers have said Northern Ireland must follow its own criteria and scientific advice.
Mrs Foster said on Sunday evening "we have flattened the curve of infection, reduced the R-rate to below one and protected our health service but we are not out of the woods yet". The R-value - or reproduction number - is at the heart of the Executive's decision to extend the lockdown until at least the end of May.
"It is important that we continue to follow this advice," she added. The R-number shows how many people will get infected for every one person who gets ill.
"As the executive begins to finalise our plans for recovery, we need to strike the balance between continuing to protect lives and the health service and give people hope for the future. In Northern Ireland, the R-rate is sitting just below one, at 0.8-0.9, and the Executive has said it must remain at a low level before restrictions can begin to be lifted.
"The changes that we will introduce will be gradual, proportionate and based on scientific and medical advice and will be taken at the right time and in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland." Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said recovery would have to happen "one step at at time", to avoid the risk of a second spike of the virus in the near future.
'Big decisions' What could NI's recovery plan look like?
Ms O'Neill said: "We are at a critical stage in the fight against the virus and so our recovery must be phased, gradual and strategic". It seems likely that the plan will not include projected dates next to different phases of easing the lockdown.
She added: "The decisions this executive will take in the days and weeks ahead are some of the biggest we will ever have to make. Setting "arbitrary" dates doesn't work, as it could provide false hope of some restrictions being eased prematurely, Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken told Radio Foyle's Breakfast programme on Monday.
"We know that six weeks into the restrictions, people need some light at the end of the tunnel. First Minister Arlene Foster would not be drawn on the detail of the plan in an interview with Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, but said she hoped ministers would sign it off later on Monday.
"We also know that recovery will only happen one step at a time, to do otherwise risks undermining the sacrifices people have already made and increases the risk of a second spike in the future." There will likely only be "minor changes" announced by the Executive to take effect this week, on issues such as outdoor exercise and potentially some churches being allowed to facilitate individual prayer.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Health Minister Robin Swann both tweeted "stay at home" messages on Sunday. It is expected there will not be a phased return of schools until September.
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said that in a cross-party call with the prime minister on Sunday, he had expressed concerns about the "stay alert" message. The Executive is aware that while its own roadmap may differ from that announced by Downing Street, Northern Ireland is still reliant on Westminster for some financial support.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the new message in England was "total nonsense". Many businesses in NI have availed of the government's furlough scheme, allowing employers to temporarily lay off staff while the government pays 80% of their wages during the crisis.
"It's not a burglar we are trying to fight, it's a virus," Mr Eastwood said. Alliance MP Stephen Farry said it was a "false narrative" to set the reopening of the economy against protecting public health.
"Staying alert does nothing to stop it, but staying at home does." "If we reopen prematurely and we have to go backwards and put measures in place once again, the economic and psychological impact of that is going to be immense - far greater than actually taking the safety approach," he added.
The Foyle MP said effective testing and tracing has been proven to work in other countries "who have survived this" and said there is no sense that such a testing strategy is ready in United Kingdom. How will it differ from the Republic of Ireland's plan?
The SDLP leader has reiterated calls for an "all-Ireland testing approach" and said doing so would not be "for any political reason". The Irish government has already announced a detailed plan for bringing the Republic of Ireland slowly out of lockdown.
Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said: "It is our strong belief that now is not the time to change the message or direction. It has five stages, with the first beginning on 18 May and the last phase by 10 August, if the spread of the virus is contained.
"Until the R rate is reduced we must continue to keep staying home, keep protecting our NHS & above all, keep saving lives." Phase one includes the reopening of golf courses on a restricted basis, and outdoor meetings between people from different households.
On Sunday, it was reported that five more people diagnosed with coronavirus have died in Northern Ireland. There are questions about how the Republic of Ireland's plan fits with what the NI Executive will announce.
That brings the number of Covid-19 related deaths to 435, according to Department of Health figures. The two jurisdictions share a 310-mile long border which people cross each day for work or leisure.
These figures are one of two sets published in Northern Ireland. During the first stage of the lockdown, it emerged that gardaí (Irish police) had been informed they had no enforcement powers over people from Northern Ireland, who may have breached Covid-19 regulations in the Republic of Ireland.
The others are weekly statistics from Northern Ireland's Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), which cover all fatalities where coronavirus has been recorded on the death certificate. What is NI's plan for testing?
Figures released by Northern Ireland's Statistics Agency (Nisra) on Friday showed there have been 516 coronavirus-related deaths recorded overall in NI - including 232 in care homes, and four in hospices. Northern Ireland has been working to increase its testing capacity since the first case of the virus was confirmed in February.
Health officials say capacity has grown from 40 tests a day, to more than 2,000 tests now, with another laboratory due to start work this week.
However, testing remains limited to people who are being admitted to hospital, live in care homes or are essential workers.
In care homes, where almost half of Covid-19 deaths have been recorded so far, residents and staff are only tested where there is a suspected outbreak, or if they are new entrants to the care home sector.
It is not clear when the Executive intends to move to wider testing within the community.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said any recovery plan from lockdown must be linked to a strategy for widespread testing in Northern Ireland.
Effective testing and tracing has been proven to work in other countries "who have survived this" and there is no sense that such a testing strategy is ready in the UK, said the Foyle MP.
What is Northern Ireland's overall picture in terms of confirmed cases and deaths?
There is a considerable difference in the death tolls in the two sets of figures published in Northern Ireland.
While The Northern Ireland Statistical Research Agency recorded 516 deaths by 1 May, the Department of Health - which records deaths of patients who tested positive for coronavirus, and therefore mostly died in hospital - had recorded 365 deaths by the same date.
Nisra's toll is 35% higher because its weekly bulletin, released each Friday, records all fatalities with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, regardless of where the individual died and whether or not they had been tested for the virus.
So although the health department confirmed five more deaths on Sunday, taking its toll to 435, the overall death toll will be significantly higher.
The disparity between the two sets of figures has caused confusion, but the department said there was always a time lag for registering deaths in the community - which can take five days - so Nisra's report could not feasibly be linked to the daily figures.
Nisra's report on Friday showed there were 27 patients in intensive care with Covid-19 symptoms, compared to 58 a month ago.
How does Northern Ireland compare to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland?
Although comparisons between countries and regions are difficult due to differences in how statistics are compiled, Northern Ireland's death rate (27 per 100,000 of the population) is similar to that of the Republic of Ireland (29 per 100,000) and significantly lower than that of Great Britain (43 per 100,000).
A further 269 coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed across the UK on Sunday, taking its total to 31,855.
A further 626 coronavirus deaths were confirmed across the UK on Friday, taking its total to 31,241.
The Republic of Ireland announced a further 12 deaths on Sunday, bringing its overall death toll to 1,458.