NI plunged into six-week lockdown from Boxing Day

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill described the situation as “quite dire”.

“It’s very clear from the positive cases we’re seeing every day that an urgent intervention was required,” she said.

“The Executive had detailed discussion about what that needed to be: around the duration of that and the specifics.

“What has been decided today is that there’s going to be a six-week lockdown that begins on December 26. That will stay in place for a period of six weeks.”

But she added that it would be reviewed after four weeks.

Measures will include the closing of all non-essential retail as well as close contact services, while the hospitality sector will be confined to takeaway services only.

Off-licences will be forced to shut their doors at 8pm.

But hotels will be opened until December 28 to accommodate Christmas bookings.

Dog grooming will also be open, but car washes will be closed.

“There will also be financial supports put in place, so the current measures which we have had over previous restrictions will be rolled over to support businesses through this very challenging time,” the Deputy First Minister said.

For those who had chosen to form a family bubble over the Christmas period, Ms O’Neill said they would be allowed to go ahead.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said Northern Ireland is in a “worse position” that it has been throughout the pandemic.

“I think the health service would be completely crushed in January if we didn’t intervene now.

“Whilst this is draconian in many ways, it’s necessary, and this is about saving lives, this is about saving the health service and this is about taking some pressure off the health care staff,” she told reporters at Stormont.

“We’ve never been in such a bad position as we are now and will be in January if this didn’t happen now.”

She described what ministers have agreed as a “longer and deeper intervention”.

“That’s been a collective position from the Executive that has been arrived at this evening,” she said.

Glyn Roberts of Retail NI said: “Make no mistake – this third lockdown will result in a tsunami of independent retailers falling and thousands more jobs being lost”.

Belfast Chamber Chief Executive Simon Hamilton said, “We have all seen how COVID-19 levels in NI are still stubbornly high and how our NHS is under severe pressure and appreciate the need for action. However, it is also worth noting that cases remained high whilst many retailers and hospitality businesses were closed. Knowing that closing many businesses did not impact on infection rates as hoped for previously, the Executive have once again decided to use more or less the same tactic. Do they expect a different result this time?”

Meanwhile, TUV leader Jim Allister said: “The severe nature of Stormont’s latest lockdown, which will inevitably further jeopardise our economy, arises in significant measure because of the cumulative failure of local Executives since devolution returned in 2007 to protect our NHS.”

There were 12 additional coronavirus deaths, and 656 new cases of the virus, reported over the previous 24 hours.