Coronavirus: Over 70s who are fit and healthy can go out if they observe social distancing and hand hygiene, says First Minister

She was speaking as the Stormont Executive unveiled a number of further small steps as Northern Ireland continues to move out from under the coronavirus lockdown.

Outdoor gatherings of up to six people who do not share a household are now allowed, subject to social distancing, in a significant scaling back of restrictions.

The news came as the Stormont Department of Health yesterday announced six more Covid-19 related deaths, bringing its total to 482.

Garden centres and recycling centres reopened yesterday as part of the first easing of restrictions.

With NI infection rates and deaths beginning to slow, First Minister Arlene Foster confirmed that a range of other lockdown rules would be relaxed.

Places of worship can now reopen for individual prayer provided people can socially distance.

Other measures now allowed, all subject to social distancing, are:

:: Drive-in religious services as long as people remain in their cars;

:: Cinemas, concerts and live theatre with audiences staying in their vehicles;

:: Socially distanced sports such as tennis, golf and angling can restart

:: People over 70 can also leave their home, if healthy.

The points make up only some of the measures from step one of the Stormont recovery plan.

Mrs Foster said: “We would have liked to unlock the whole of step one but, quite simply, the reason why we haven’t been able to move to indoor family gatherings is because of the medical advice.

“The relaxations we’ve announced have been made possible by the vast majority of you following advice.

“They have been hard-won freedoms and it’s vital when you exercise them, it doesn’t put anyone else’s safety at risk.”

Across the UK there are now almost 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

Mrs Foster said the Executive was also considering allowing small weddings and hoped a decision could be made soon.

People are not being allowed to visit immediate family indoors, where social distancing is possible, even though it is included in step one of its recovery plan.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill urged: “Bear with us,” adding that as soon as the advice changed, the Executive would move to lift the restriction on visiting family indoors.

“We will get there and we’ll get there sooner, if we all keep doing what we’re doing,” she added.

Last week, the Executive published its five-step plan for exiting lockdown, although it has no timetable. The lockdown remains in place with a review due by May 28.

Mrs Foster also said that not everyone who is over 70 has to be “shielding” and that there had been “a little bit of confusion over the issue”.

“There’s a certain section of the over-70s who are shielding and are in receipt of a letter from their GP and, of course, they should continue to shield until the advice changes,” she said.

“For those over 70 who are fit and well and aren’t vulnerable and aren’t in a position where they are unwell, then they can go out in the fashion we have talked about.

“But they must do so in a way that protects themselves and, indeed, make sure protects those that they want to see as well, so socially distancing, hand hygiene – all of the things that we’ve talked about.”

She added: “Hopefully, we’ll get to the position where we can deal with the contact indoors for those who can’t be outdoors at this time.”

Journalist David Young of PA Media put it to the first and deputy first minister that the first case of coronavirus was detected in a Norther Ireland care home at the end of February, a few days before the first case in a Republic of Ireland care home.

At the weekend the Irish Republic confirmed that testing in all care homes was now complete, he said, yet NI will not achieve this until June. He asked if that was not “an indictment” of the Executive’s approach to care homes throughout the emergency?

Mrs Foster replied: “No I don’t think it is ... there were clusters in care homes in the Republic of Ireland much earlier than in Northern Ireland and actually we prevented people visiting care homes earlier than in the Republic of Ireland.”

She said 30% of NI care home residents have now been tested.

Separately yesterday, however, Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said the news that testing would be rolled out across care homes in NI is at “a very late stage in this pandemic”.

Ms Bradshaw claimed the Executive had been too focused on not overwhelming the NHS and hospitals.

“They haven’t been thinking about the most vulnerable people with the multiple morbidities, very susceptible to infection in those clustering of care homes. I think they have been completely wrong in their focus from the start of this pandemic.”

The first and deputy first ministers also said that people gathering for parties in contravention of lockdown rules could cause more coronavirus deaths.

They were commenting on reports of large parties inside a Belfast apartment block at the weekend.

The incidents saw police remove about 40 non-residents from a number of apartments over breaches of Covid-19 regulations.

The company that rents out the apartments in the Obel building has launched an investigation.

Meanwhile, last week the Executive said it would allow weddings for people who are terminally ill, and yesterday a bride who falls into that category thanked the politicians, saying “they do have hearts”.

Samantha Gamble and Frankie Byrne, from Loughbrickland, Co Down, had hoped to get married at the end of May, but coronavirus restrictions meant that weddings were not allowed.

She is being treated for a terminal cancer diagnosis and her family began to lobby politicians. The first Samantha knew about the change was when she was told to turn on the BBC’s radio news in the hospital.

“That was the first I really was told anything about it. I cried, I couldn’t believe it, I still can’t believe it,” she told the BBC.

Only six people can attend, including the bride, groom and registrar. Samantha’s two children and a close friend of Frankie’s will also be present.

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