There is no option but to adjust to these huge changes to our daily life in Northern Ireland

Now people are being advised to stop all non essential social contact and non essential travel.

This is a recommendation without precedent in the UK since World War Two. It is going to have immense consequences for businesses and indeed for people’s mental health, as they spend long periods of time at home.

The UK has said that it delayed because we are at a later stage in the crisis than Italy, and that it wants to bring down the curve of peak infections, which otherwise could lead to catastrophic surge on NHS critical care facilities.

And as anyone who is now facing the prospect of weeks confined indoors will understand, there is a risk to imposing such measures too early, and thus making it more likely that people will break their isolation at an even more dangerous later date in the infection cycle.

Meanwhile, the decision to keep schools open will come under increasing pressure, but if that is possible until Easter it will reduce the potentially massive duration of the break.

The government and Bank of England have emphasised that they will offer radical help to keep society running. Stormont last night promised help ranging from rates relief to free school meals when schools close.

This is all going to cost vast amounts of money, with ramifications for the viability of longer-term spending plans.

But that is a fear for another day. For now, there is no alternative to massive financial support for some business sectors and for a range of benefits payments.

We are also as a society going to have to think about how we can help people socially while maintaining social distance — including phone calls and social contact and deliveries for others. Already creative thinkers are thinking of admirable voluntary schemes to help bring about that assistance.