Stephen Walker
BBC News NI Political Correspondent

Baroness Ritchie has called on the government to extend the Brexit transition period because of the coronavirus crisis.

The Brexit transition period ends on 31 December 2020.

The former SDLP leader raised the issue in the House of Lords, asking what consideration the government had given to “extending the Brexit transition period past 31 December as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic".

Responding on behalf of the government, Lord True replied: “Extending the transition period would simply prolong the negotiations, prolong business uncertainty, and delay the moment of control of our borders.

"Extending the transition period would mean we will have to make further payments into the EU budget.

"It would also keep us bound by EU legislation, at a point when we need legislative and economic flexibility to manage the UK response to the coronavirus pandemic."

Baroness Ritchie told the BBC: "Not withstanding the fact that I would prefer to remain in the European Union, again, the British government is rushing headlong into Brexit with no proper plan for exit, particularly at a time of the pandemic and it further illustrates how ill-prepared they are, as has been shown by their shambolic approach to dealing with Covid."

Downing Street has consistently said it is committed to agreeing a deal by December 2020.

Face-to-face talks between EU and UK officials were recently cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic but further discussions are planned for May and June.

The Housing Executive is offering grants of up to £1,500 to support NI community groups during the coronavirus pandemic.

The £260,000 Covid-19 Response Fund was launched on Wednesday "to assist community groups working to respond to the emergency on the ground across Northern Ireland".

Organisations and enterprises "carrying out activities to support local vulnerable people" are eligible to apply.

Already, 147 applications have been received.

Colm McQuillan of the Housing Executive said staff are "regularly checking up on vulnerable tenants in isolation by telephone".

He said many community groups are delivering food or medical supplies and "giving residents a link to the outside world and a listening ear if they need it".

Mr McQuillan said the fund "aims to provide immediate financial support to enable these activities to continue and to help groups to operate in what is the most challenging environment any of us have ever witnessed”.

John Campbell
BBC News NI Economics and Business Editor

A Sinn Féin MLA has said Stormont should consider helping firms to source, or buy personal protection equipment (PPE) so they can re-open safely.

John O’Dowd, who was speaking at the assembly’s economy committee, said among the support packages there was a "missing element" in terms of helping firms re-open.

Image source, Getty Images

"I think it would be useful if there were engagement around what PPE such businesses require," he added.

Mr O’Dowd made the remark in the context of businesses such as fast food restaurants who were not users of PPE in the past.

Consultant eye surgeon Dr Richard Best has gone from saving patients' sight to providing the last glimpse many coronavirus patients have of their loved ones before their deaths.

He is among hospital staff who have been redeployed in recent weeks to care for patients with severe Covid-19 infections.

His day-to-day work includes helping patients communicate with their families, which has to be via phone and video calls as visits are not allowed.

"For many, this may be the last time they get to see or speak to each other," Dr Best said.

"This has been some of the most difficult and challenging work I've ever had to do my medical career," he added.

A new email service to allow motorists to contact Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) staff directly has been launched by the Department for Infrastructure.

Minister Nichola Mallon says the service allows customers to “come straight through to DVA staff to deal with their individual queries and concerns".

Image source, getty driver

She says it “will provide a single point of contact and support for customers experiencing difficulties” during the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

The DVA is responsible for driver licensing, vehicle and driver testing here. They can be contacted at dva.customerservices@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

With most people having to stay at home for most of the day, and many working from home, it is estimated households are using about a fifth more energy during the lockdown, according to the Consumer Council.

It has reminded householders and small business owners to take their own metre readings, because energy providers have stopped calling to homes and premises to read metres during the pandemic.

Its head of energy policy, Paulino Garcia, said this temporary measure was taken by providers "to help keep the public and their staff safe".

Image source, Getty Images

"It is therefore very important that consumers regularly provide their own meter readings to their electricity and gas supplier to make sure their bills are accurate," he said.

"Otherwise they could have bill shocks and in the worst case could be left in debt as their payments do not cover the higher consumption.”

Mr Garcia said the rise in estimated energy consumption was based on recent usage reports.

"Therefore, it is more important than ever for consumers to be energy efficient and to shop around for the best energy deal," he added.

The NI Blood Transfusion Service has reminded people not to turn up for appointments if they are unwell, amid the coronavirus crisis.

The service made the comment in welcoming news that rules around blood donation from men who have sex with other men were being relaxed.

Image source, Getty Images

In a statement, it said "as always, safety is our utmost priority".

You can read more here.

Should the Northern Ireland Executive follow Scotland's example and recommend people wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces, such as shops and public transport? That's the discussion on Talkback on BBC Radio Ulster this afternoon.

Dr Lindsay Broadbent says home-made face coverings can provide "limited protection" against the transmission of coronavirus.

However, the doctor at Queen University's Centre for Infection and Immunity, said face coverings "provide very little, if any, protection against actually contracting the virus".

Dr Broadbent said for such a policy to be introduced in Northern Ireland and be effective it would "require everyone to get on board."

"You are not protecting yourself, you are protecting the people you are around," she added.

Image source, Reuters

The virologist also highlights the importance of choosing the right material for re-usable face coverings, as well as practicing good hygiene with them.

For face coverings to be effective they would need to be of a material that can be "washed or boiled at a very high temperature" to mitigate against infection if they are constantly being reused.

"You don't want to risk putting that mask on the next day and infecting yourself," she added.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political reporter

More from Stormont's Infrastructure Committee, where Nichola Mallon has been asked about widening footpaths in order to maintain social distancing here, even after the first wave of the pandemic passes.

The minister told MLAs the effects of Covid-19 are going to be "with us for a long time" and that preparatory work for the future is under way.

"We're not going to be able to widen every single footpath," she added.

Image source, Getty Images

"In other countries they're looking at a priority matrix around footpaths for people to get to shops.

"That's why I've asked my officials to go away and explore this and look at the costs."

Ms Mallon also said widening footpaths isn't just a matter for her department, but also a public health issue.

Queen's University Belfast Chancellor Hillary Clinton, has said she "could not be prouder" of staff and students at the university for their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a video message, external, the former United States presidential candidate and first lady said the first few months of her role at the university have been "unprecedented".

Image source, Queens University Belfast

Mrs Clinton highlighted the work of scientists at Queen's who are working on treatments and vaccines, as well as researchers leading clinical trials.

The chancellor also commended the "bravery and selflessness" of medical students who have graduated early to help join the battle against Covid-19.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political reporter

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon says she cannot commit to extending free public transport to all key workers in Northern Ireland.

Last month she announced NHS staff could avail of a free service to get to work.

She told a Stormont committee she was "sympathetic" to calls for the scheme to be widened but it would present challenges.

She said: "You'd have to just offer free public transport. You couldn't say: 'Sorry, do you work in a benefits office? You need to show me your credentials'."

Image source, pacemaker

She said her officials needed to think about the "unintended consequences" of what an extension could mean in practice.

"It would also have the unintended consequence of encouraging more people to get on public transport and could be counter-productive to what we're trying to do," she added.

The minister added that once social distancing restrictions began to be lifted, a policy of 50% admission of passengers on trains and buses would remain, but be kept under review.

"We will need more fleet on the roads. It makes sense if people have to travel to use public transport but the big issue will be how we give people confidence to use public transport again."

New mums are reminded breastfeeding support is still available despite a reduction in home visits from health professionals.

“The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone, reach out the support is there and you can use this extra time you have at home with your baby as an opportunity to be able to carry on breastfeeding,” the Public Health Agency’s Janet Calvert says.

Image source, Getty Images

She says any mums who have tested positive for Covid-19 are still advised to breastfeed.

“It is important to know that even if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 that breastfeeding is still recommended by the World Health Organisation and the well-recognised benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of coronavirus through breastmilk,” she says.

More info is available at www.breastfedbabies.org, external

The coronavirus pandemic has shown how essential a broad range of workers are to society - with postmen and postwomen included among them.

Today is National Postal Workers' Day, and Alliance MP Stephen Farry has called for appreciation for essential workers in the sector.

He noted workers had kept communication lines open for those "isolated and not on social media".

After initially being postponed until September, the Dublin Pride parade has now been cancelled.

In a release, the event organisers said having a gathering of its scale would place "unnecessary pressure on essential frontline services".

It notes in its release the fundraising role the Pride event has, and says a virtual parade and concert will take place instead.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political reporter

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon says she’s exploring whether some Translink staff could be furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It comes after Transport for London said 7,000 of its staff would be placed on the scheme due to financial challenges.

Translink is facing a shortfall of more than £100m due to the lockdown restrictions.

Ms Mallon told a Stormont committee she had been asked by Finance Minister Conor Murphy to see if furloughing would also be applicable for Translink.

“It is being explored in terms of feasibility, but to take the step of furloughing is hugely significant, cross-cutting and should be approached with serious consideration by the executive and in consultation with trade unions,” she added.

Turning to the impact on the tourism industry, Mrs Dodds says she will chair a first meeting of a new group on the impact of the Covid crisis next week.

"We need a plan and we need to be working on a plan," she says, adding that the group will include leaders in the tourism industry and local councils.

Tourism and hospitality were two of the first sectors to suffer from coronavirus' global spread, as many people cancelled travel plans and governments imposed restrictions.

The industries fear they could be the last to recover if lockdown restrictions are eased on a phased basis.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds is briefing MLAs in Stormont on the impact of Covid-19.

She says it's "hard to overstate the damage Covid-19 has done to individuals and families, but also to our economy and wider stockholders in that economy".

She says we are "all dealing with uncertainty," adding, "no one will be left unscathed by this crisis".

Mrs Dodds says "right now our economy is temporarily almost shut down".

She says "to help support the economy we have been rolling out grant schemes".

The minister says last week the department announced a £25,000 grant scheme "aimed at tourism leisure, hospitality, and retail," adding that "last Friday, we paid the first of those grants out to businesses".

"We are working, and continue to work to ensure that those are paid in tranches, as soon as can verify them and that they are paid out," she says.

Image source, NI Assembly

In terms of the £10,000 grant scheme, she says there have been over 17,000 grants paid out, adding the scheme has "been expanded to include those businesses which have been industrially de-rated".

To those who are furloughed and have gone on maternity leave, she says: "Your maternity leave will be calculated on your full salary, not your furloughed salary."

She also says there has been "significant engagement with central government" and outlines that there is a weekly meeting, every Thursday at 13:00 BST, chaired by the chancellor.

She says it includes numerous other ministers "running huge policy areas in Westminster" and says they are "talking and listening to the voice of local governments through the devolved regions".

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the numbers around ICU admissions, new cases and deaths due to Covid-19 "just aren't good enough yet" to start easing restrictions in the Republic of Ireland, according to broadcaster RTÉ

"Maybe it'll change significantly by Friday, but as things stand I don't think we're there yet," he said.

Read more here, external

Image source, EPA

The retailer Next has warned that sales will suffer this year with shoppers kept away amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It says full-price sales in-store and online could drop by up to 40%.

Image source, PA Media

The company said that it was hard to think of a time when sales and profit had "been more difficult to predict".

In the three days before non-essential shops closed under government instruction on 23 March, external, in-store sales plummeted by 86%.

Read more.

Niall McCracken
BBC News NI

The coronavirus lockdown is having a significant impact on family members caring for those who are sick, elderly or disabled.

Janet Scholfield from Ballymoney, County Antrim, is caring for her 86-year-old father-in-law, Jack.

He has dementia and was recently in hospital after sustaining a broken hip from a fall.