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The Northern Ireland Executive has met again in an attempt to resolve the deadlock in the next phase of Covid-19 restrictions.
The ministers resumed discussions remotely tonight, nearly 24 hours after the exchanges broke off without agreement.
They disagree on whether to extend, amend or relax the current four-week circuit interruption measures, which expire at midnight Thursday.
The breakdown has forced the closure of much of the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland and halted the work of close contact services such as hairdressing.
Amid sustained pressure on hospital admissions, five-party executive ministers are debating whether to lift the restrictions starting Friday or extend some or all of them for two more weeks.
Ulster Unionist Health Minister Robin Swann is in favor of a comprehensive extension of the measures.
Most other ministers appear to be in favor of allowing close contact services to resume, provided strict precautions are observed.
It seems that pubs that don’t serve food are unlikely to get approval to reopen.
Ministers disagree on how much of the rest of the hospitality sector will be able to resume trading.
The DUP is pushing for a more general easing of restrictions than Sinn Féin, the UUP, the SDLP and the Alliance Party are willing to support.
Today’s Covid-19 figures show 11 more people have died in Northern Ireland, bringing the death toll to 802.
514 new cases were also reported in the last 24 hours.
The Health Department said there were 420 patients in the hospital, 50 in the ICU and 39 of them on ventilators.
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Earlier, DUP Prime Minister Arlene Foster said an agreed path can be found.
“We are determined to work together to find a solution,” he said.
One of the options that the ministers understood was that cafes and restaurants be allowed to reopen without selling alcohol.
But there are doubts that the ministers will go ahead with this proposal, given the hostility expressed by some members of the hotel sector.
Restaurant owners have said that the inability to sell alcohol would make the trade unviable.
Another possible option is unlicensed premises, such as cafes, which can reopen while alcohol-serving businesses remain closed.
Ms Foster told the Assembly that it is necessary to develop a “clear exit strategy” from the blockade measures.
“I don’t think we can continuously go into circuit breakers, closures, call them what you want,” he said.
“You can’t keep turning the economy on and off.
“When you go back one time there will be nothing left and people will not have jobs, they will not be able to support their families, they will fall into destitution and poverty, and that in itself has its own health outcomes – mental health and, as I say. , problems related to poverty.
“So we need to find a way forward. I hope we can all work together to find a way forward.”
Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard said his party supported the resumption of close contact services but believed that restrictions on the hospitality sector should be extended.
Hazzard said it would be unwise to dismiss advances in reducing infection rates.
“I think there is a case where close contact services are concerned, relaxation can be sought,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.
“But I think overall, it’s important that we find a way forward now that leads into the new year, and for me that means the restrictions need to stay in place for another two weeks.
In a clear indication of the strength of the opposition among some members of the DUP to extend the restrictions on companies, the MLA Paul Frew party accused the Executive of committing an “act of vandalism” in the economy.
Frew, who also criticized the introduction of the circuit breaker last month, called the administration’s actions, particularly the delay in providing clarity to companies, as “disgraceful, shameful and sham.”
“We have businesses, owners who ask if I bring my supply chain, order all that food, fill my freezer,” he told the MLAs.
“Is incredible.
“This is a tremendously hard time for companies and, nevertheless, this Executive is causing an act of vandalism in those companies.
“It is an act of vandalism not to be able to tell a business on Tuesday that they can open safe on Friday, that they can fill their fridges and freezers, they can bring their stock and they can pay for their supply line.
“All these companies have no idea. That is not a way to run a company. But it is not a way to run an Executive.
“It is an absolute shame, it is an absolute sham that we are letting so many people down.”
570,000 doses of vaccines for next spring
Northern Ireland could receive around 570,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine by next spring.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been tested in 43,500 people in six countries and so far no safety concerns have been raised. It offers 90% protection and is one of several tested.
Two doses are required, three weeks apart, and further trials and regulatory approvals are needed before it can be distributed.
Around 285,000 people could potentially be inoculated against the disease under the initial allocation as part of a UK-wide order.
A statement from the Stormont health department said: “The vaccine will be split using the Barnett formula, so for the first 20 million doses that are scheduled to be in the UK by the end of March 2021, Northern Ireland would receive approximately 570,000 doses. “
The statement noted that the vaccine has yet to officially pass massive stage three testing trials and then receive official clearance before it can be used in the UK.
Health Minister Robin Swann has warned the public not to “lower their guard” despite progress toward mass vaccination in 2021.
He said it will probably be well into 2021 before a vaccine is available to the population, especially since mass global vaccination is a huge logistical challenge.
Those most at risk could get it before the end of the year.
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