NI Coronavirus lockdown extended indefinitely - 'We are not done yet - we must keep going' says Dominic Raab

Mr. Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who remains in an intensive care unit in London, made the announcement at the government's daily Coronavirus briefing in 10 Downing Street on Thursday afternoon.

"We are not done yet - we must keep going," said Mr. Raab.

“The measures will have to stay in place until we’ve got the evidence that clearly shows we’ve moved beyond the peak.

"Sage will meet next week to discuss the latest evidence and we will keep the measures we’ve put in place under review," he added.

The lockdown has been in place since Monday March 23 and was due to be reviewed on Monday April 13 but Mr. Raab said it was too early to lift the measures.

“It’s been almost three weeks and we’re starting to see the impact of the sacrifices we’ve all made.

“But the deaths are still rising and we haven’t yet reached the peak of the virus. So it’s still too early to lift the measures that we put in place."

He added: “We must stick to the plan and we must continue to be guided by the science.

"We must not give the Coronavirus a second chance to kill people.

"We will take the right decisions at the right moment in time."