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Updated 16 minutes ago
THE STORMONT EXECUTIVE is holding an evening meeting amid growing expectations that Northern Ireland may be facing the prospect of a circuit breaker lockdown.
The weekly shared power management meeting, scheduled for Thursday, was brought forward as an indication that decisions on new restrictions are imminent amid the rapid spread of the virus.
The meeting started shortly after 9.30pm to discuss how to address Covid-19 infection rates in the region. However, the meeting was adjourned after 10 minutes.
It is understood that the SDLP infrastructure minister, Nichola Mallon, asked for time for the smaller executive parties to read the health document.
It is scheduled to meet again at 11 pm.
Members of the Assembly have been told to stand by for a late-night session of the legislature to be briefed on any measures that may be agreed to by the Executive.
Ministers are debating whether to trigger a blackout lockout, potentially for four weeks, that would shut down all pubs and restaurants.
A document from Health Minister Robin Swann warned that infection rates will continue to rise if both schools and the hotel sector remain open.
Prime Minister Arlene Foster said the decisions to be made are not easy.
“We will have an executive meeting later this afternoon to discuss the issue and discuss what we can do as executives to try to stop the emergence of Covid-19,” he told the Assembly this afternoon.
“Some people have said that it is about health versus wealth, I think it is a completely false analysis… poverty kills and unemployment also kills. So it is a balancing act between making sure that we deal with Covid-19 but that we also try to protect our economy, protect our society as we know it, and indeed family life as we know it.
They are important decisions, none of them easy.
Northern Ireland Prime Minister Arlene Foster
Source: NI Assembly / PA Images
Earlier, it emerged that an intensive care unit at Northern Ireland’s Nightingale hospital had been reopened in response to the escalation of Covid admissions in Belfast.
The facility is not yet going up regionally, but will accept Covid-19 patients being treated within the Belfast Trust area.
The Belfast Trust also canceled 105 planned surgeries at Belfast City Hospital and Musgrave Park Hospital over the next two weeks to free up staff to respond to the worsening coronavirus situation.
The Health Department today reported another seven deaths with Covid-19 and another 863 cases.
In the last seven days, 6,286 new positive cases of the virus have been detected, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 21,898.
There are currently 150 patients in hospitals with Covid-19, including 23 in intensive care.
The Derry City and Strabane Council area remains the hardest hit in Northern Ireland, with a case incidence rate of 970 per 100,000 people over the past seven days.
That’s more than double the next highest rate, which is 462 per 100,000 in Belfast.
Mid Ulster now has a rate of 401, while the Newry, Morne, and Down Council area has a prevalence of 315 per 100,000.
Middle Antrim and East remain the areas with the lowest infection rate, 95 per 100,000.
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Michael McBride
Source: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye / PA Images
Medical Director Dr. Michael McBride and Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Ian Young have already recommended a nationwide lockdown lasting four to six weeks.
The goal is to reduce the rate of reproduction of the virus to less than one infected for each person diagnosed.
Ministers have been warned that the R rate is unlikely to be less than one with schools and hospitality open.
Officials previously urged schools to be closed for a period within the closure, though not necessarily for the entire closure.
They have said that action must be taken in a few days and have identified that the six-week lockdown provides the best chance for Northern Ireland to get to Christmas without the need for another.
Foster indicated yesterday that he is not in favor of closing schools.
The suggestion of a six-week lockdown in Northern Ireland was questioned by a high-ranking DUP MP.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson asked why such a movement would be required across the region, given the marked variations in infection rates in different areas.
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