Coronavirus NI: Up to 10 people from different households can meet-up outside - People who live alone to interact with others in another household and even stay overnight

The easing of the restriction was announced by First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill.

Mrs. Foster also revealed the Northern Ireland Executive would provide restaurants, cafes, pubs and caravan parks with an indicative date next week for when they can reopen safely.

“We want to minimise the impact of loneliness and isolation on people by enabling people to meet in a controlled and straightforward way," said Mrs. Foster.

She added: “People who live alone can form a small support unit or support bubble with one other house," she added.

Other measures to be relaxed include:

Up to 10 people from different households can now meet up outside.

All retail, including shopping centres, can reopen to the public from Friday June 12.

Churches and community centres can open to provide childcare from Friday June 12.

People are also permitted to sell and view property from Monday June 15.

Elite athletes have been given the all-clear to start training again from June 15.

The Northern Ireland Executive was able to ease the restrictions after the Department of Health (DoH) confirmed the R-number is currently between 0.5 - 0.9.

The Executive has indicated that keeping R below 1 is a key objective as we move forward in the epidemic.

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Irish and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Thank you,

Alistair Bushe

Editor