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A week-long curfew and the closure of non-essential retail businesses are among the Covid-19 restrictions to be introduced in Northern Ireland on December 26.
Full details of the new restrictions were released today.
Stormont ministers agreed to shut down non-essential retail and contact services, as well as restrict the takeout-only hospitality sector.
No sporting events will be allowed, with a general message for the public to stay home.
Places of worship may remain open under strict conditions.
Home goods stores will not be classified as essential retailers.
The curfew will be in effect from December 26 to January 2 between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
During these hours, all businesses that remain open during closing must close.
No indoor or outdoor gatherings will be allowed, even at sports venues.
Nor will the mixing of households be allowed in any scenario between these hours, “except for emergencies or the provision of health or care services or when households have chosen to form a Christmas bubble for a period of time between 23 and 27 of December with provision to travel one day to both sides when absolutely necessary. “
Exercise outdoors will only be allowed with members of the same household.
However, festive bubbling arrangements will be allowed.
The measures are scheduled to be reviewed after four weeks.
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NI Medical Director Dr. Michael McBride said the public “should have no doubt” that the six-week lockdown is “absolutely necessary if we are to control the transmission of this virus.”
He told the BBC: “Due to the winter months, it is the best time for this virus in terms of transmission and it is the worst time in terms of impact on our health service.”
“Whether it is hospitality, non-essential retail or the contribution of schools, there should be nothing on or off the table.”
Northern Ireland’s Chief Scientific Officer Professor Ian Young said models suggest there would be thousands of deaths if no action is taken to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan program, Professor Young said: “What we can say more precisely is the number of patients who would require hospitalization, at this time between 400 and 500, by the end of January, without action, there would be been around 3,000-4,000.
“That would have been the number of patients who would have needed a hospital bed by the end of January if no action was taken.”
He added: “In terms of the total number of general and acute beds, the type of beds that would have been required in the hospital, the number of patients needing beds would have exceeded the total number of beds available.”
The Northern Ireland Deputy Prime Minister said the decision to implement the six-week lockdown is the correct intervention and has the support of all five parties in the coalition.
Michelle O’Neill called on the public to “work with us” to prevent the health service from being completely crushed in January and to prevent a dire situation from getting worse.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said the situation in Northern Ireland is “dire and unacceptable” and that it was clear that immediate intervention was needed.
He said the six-week lockdown is “stricter” than previous interventions.
About him # COVID-19 situation in Northern Ireland, @ TomorrowIreland he tells Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill: “This is not a failure of the people … but a failure of the leadership.”
‘I have never deviated from the public health council’ @moneillsf responds, saying that the DUP has. pic.twitter.com/asH54wqnbb
– RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 18, 2020
Ms O’Neill said the Northern Ireland medical director supported waiting until December 26 to intervene with a more severe blockade.
Yesterday, 12 more Covid-19-related deaths were recorded in Northern Ireland, bringing the figure to 1,154.
The number of positive cases has passed the milestone of 60,000.
Another 656 cases brought the cumulative total number of infections to 60,287.
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