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Tighter coronavirus restrictions are being extended to all of Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Arlene Foster announced.
Starting at 6 p.m. tomorrow, different households will not be allowed to mix indoors, except for single-person household bubbles and some other exemptions.
No more than six people from two households can gather in private gardens, however pubs that only serve drinks are expected to open on Wednesday.
Households will not be able to mix indoors
The indoor mixing ban was initially applied to some areas such as Greater Belfast, Ballymena and parts of County Armagh, but is now spreading across the country.
Household exemptions that can be combined include childcare, supported living arrangements, visitation for legal or medical reasons, or marriage or civil unions in which one partner is terminally ill.
Ms. Foster tried to reassure the public that the measures were not a return to the lockdown.
“Doing nothing was not an option, but neither was going back to full lockdown,” he said.
“These are limited restrictions that I hope by taking action at this early stage, we can avoid the need for more draconian measures.”
Nearly 400 new cases were reported in the last 48 hours and there have been “substantial” increases in Northern Ireland, Ms Foster said.
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Between 2% and 4% of coronavirus tests are now positive, showing increased transmission in the community, said lead scientific advisor Professor Ian Young.
The virus’s reproduction rate, which measures how many people a coronavirus patient will infect, has risen to 1.4, and in some districts it would be about two.
The rise in infections in Northern Ireland comes as UK medical directors called for the official COVID-19 alert level to be raised from three to four, meaning the virus is in general circulation and transmission is high. .
In recent days, house parties in South Belfast’s Holyland student district and an invasion of the field by Gaelic Athletic Association sports fans have caused concern.
Ms Foster cautioned: “Whether they ran onto the court at a GAA game, partied in bars afterward, filled the streets of Belfast Holyland, or actually huddled at house parties, that kind of behavior is not just a risk for those present, but of course for all the people with whom they come in contact later. “
The DUP leader added that she would be investigating how to take drastic measures against those who disobey the rules.
Two other coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Northern Ireland over the weekend, bringing the total death toll to 577, the Health Department said.
Some 125 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours of the report.
