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Stormont ministers have failed to agree on a possible extension of the coronavirus restrictions in Northern Ireland.
The ministers in the power-sharing executive are to resume discussions tomorrow morning.
Today’s lengthy talks failed to produce a result, with ministers disagreeing on whether to extend some or all of the measures for two more weeks.
The executive initially suspended the meeting this morning to seek more data on the possible impact of easing some restrictions.
They met again in the early afternoon to continue their conversations. A breakthrough did not materialize, and the ministers will resume tomorrow at 11am.
The four-week blockage for circuit breakage that forced the closure of much of the hotel industry in Northern Ireland will end on Thursday.
With hospitals still under sustained pressure dealing with Covid-19 admissions, ministers are ready to extend some of the restrictions.
However, they are considering relaxing some measures.
It is understood that this could allow cafes and restaurants to reopen, but without alcohol being sold.
Representatives of the hotel sector have criticized that suggestion, insisting that the impossibility of selling alcohol would make the trade unviable.
Today 471 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Northern Ireland and there were another 10 deaths related to the disease.
Critics of the measures being considered by the DUP and the Sinn Féin-led coalition is DUP MP Ian Paisley.
He accused the executive of making decisions by “optics”, so that the administration looks good.
Paisley questioned the evidentiary basis for claiming that banning alcohol in restaurants would reduce infection rates.
“It’s like saying you can open a hairdresser but you can’t use a comb,” he told the BBC.
“Seriously, what is the evidence for that?”
It is understood that the executive is also considering extending the closure of pubs that do not sell food for two more weeks.
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Ministers are also evaluating whether close contact services such as hairdressers and estheticians could be allowed to resume, provided strict restrictions are observed.
Scientific advice is to abide by the restrictions – Eastwood
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said that politics, rather than science, is driving demands that the restrictions be lifted this week as originally planned, rather than extending them for another fortnight.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Mr. Eastwood described the current situation as “a disaster”.
He said that “it is silly for us at this point to say that it is okay to open restaurants, but that restaurants will not be able to sell alcohol.”
He said nobody wants these restrictions, but “the scientific and medical advice is overwhelming that the best way to do it is to stick to these very difficult restrictions for a couple more weeks, so that we can give those industries some hope that a little bit Christmas and they can make some money in that month. “
He said that “if we have this house halfway, we will not control the virus and indeed we need additional and stronger restrictions during Christmas and that would be an economic disaster and also a disaster in terms of virus management. .
He again called for an all-Ireland approach to controlling the virus, but said it now appears that “Sinn Féin is prepared to put that aside.”
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