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Health Minister Robin Swann says there were 2,243 tests carried out yesterday in relation to Covid-19 - the biggest total to date.

Up to 300 people will be employed in a new pilot contact tracing system in NI to deal with the pandemic.

Mr Swann is appearing before the assembly's Ad-hoc Committee on the Covid -19 Response.

He says the first death from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland was recorded on 19 March.

"Since then we have seen 3,536 confirmed cases of the disease and, sadly, today I announce a further nine deaths. That brings the total to 347 souls that have been lost," the minister says.

He says the figure includes a number of people who have died at home, in residential and nursing homes and in hospices.

Julian O'Neill
BBC News NI Home Affairs Correspondent

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Eight of the 120 prisoners released from Northern Ireland jails as part of Covid-19 response measures have been sent back to prison for not complying with regulations, mostly relating to drugs and alcohol, Naomi Long has said.

The justice minister was speaking at Stormont's justice committee today.

The prisoners were released as part of a contingency plan to deal with Covid-19, with 200 prison officers off due to coronavirus precautions at one stage.

The scheme applies to individuals in the last three months of sentences.

The Department of Health has announced a further nine people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland.

It brings the confirmed total here to 347.

A business grant to help companies here deal with the coronavirus outbreak is being expanded, the economy minster says.

Diane Dodds says small businesses that occupy a rental property can now apply for the £10,000 Small Business Support Grant Scheme announced in March.

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She also revealed a total of 18,508 payments have been issued to companies under the scheme.

Mrs Dodds says the first payments under the £25,000 grant scheme for businesses in the retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors have now been made.

Applications for both schemes close on 20 May

Tyrone All-Star Cathal McShane says playing a game without fans because of coronavirus restrictions would be "like a friendly".

Crowds of more than 5,000 are not permitted in the Republic of Ireland until at least September and staging matches behind closed doors is a possibility.

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"It's not something I would be a fan of," said the Red Hands forward,

"Going through stadiums and you see Tyrone fans streaming in - it drives you on, it's what inspires you."

Read more

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political reporter

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Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar says easing lockdown restrictions in the Republic of Ireland will be "slow and gradual".

Changes will be made every two to four weeks and a plan is due to be approved by the cabinet tomorrow.

Facing questions from opposition leaders in the Dáil (Irish Parliament), Mr Varadkar said a "roadmap to reopen Ireland" was being developed, but stressed any lifting of measures would not happen all in one go.

"We'll provide a pathway and give hope to people that there is light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

"But it can't be false hope. We're still in the tunnel and there is a long way to go."

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Five prison officers in Northern Ireland have tested positive for Covid-19, the Justice Minster Naomi Long tells a Stormont committee.

The minister also tells the justice committee that no prisoners in NI have tested positive for coronavirus

A Church of Ireland minister tells BBC Radio Foyle the best course of action for churches here is to follow public health advice.

Archdeacon Robert Miller says people are looking for “a glimmer of hope” that society will return soon to how it was before the outbreak.

“The root of all of this is we want to get back to normal as soon as possible,” he says.

Image source, Reuters

“The best way to do that is to follow the advice of those drawing on the scientific information that is there for them.”

“I think we have to be guided by that.

“Our best way to serve one another is to support each other in ways which remain safe and provide safety for the maximum amount of people in the community," he says

Rev Miller says while church buildings are closed, “the church remains open.”

"We are here for you, but at the minute the advice is to remain physically distanced."

If you are just joining our live page coverage, here's a brief round-up of the news that has emerged so far on Thursday:

• Environment minister Edwin Poots tells The Nolan show “a little bit normality” is needed and again backed calls for churches and garden centres to reopen.
• His executive colleague Nichola Mallon says debating the lifting of current restrictions publicly is “not useful".
• Two major business groups write to the governments in Dublin and Belfast to urge co-operation and co-ordination on the recovery from coronavirus.
• Universities here face multi-million-pound losses due to the coronavirus pandemic
• NI schools forced to cancel trips because of the pandemic say they face losing thousands of pounds
• Profits at the largest of Northern Ireland's 'big four' local banks falls by almost 80% in the first quarter of this year.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has announced that a decision to cut 46 of the 73 jobs will be "temporarily deferred".

The BBC understands the remaining 27 posts, which are believed to be agency workers, will be axed.

On Tuesday, the council announced plans to cut agency and short-term workers due to the Covid-19 crisis.

On Wednesday night, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey urged councils to "exhaust all options to protect workers".

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In a statement, the council said given Mrs Hargey's statement, the decision was taken to "temporarily defer the council’s proposal to release 46 short service staff".

However, the council said "until clarity is received," they will continue to plan for the "urgent action it may need".

The council said they "will review its position again in 2 weeks’ time, should the matter not be resolved".

Helen McCune whose mother, Norma McBride, died from Covid-19 at the end of March tells Talkback that despite her deep religious faith, she believes church buildings should remain closed to protect people.

"We weren't able to be with her in hospital, to visit even, or to see her," she says.

"We are trying to grieve at home when we're in isolation and not able to be together. It is very difficult."

Ms McCune says hers is a Christian family and it is "very strange" not to be together and to be in church.

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"Church would be where we would find a big source of comfort.

"We have such a strong faith and we would be meeting with people from church. All of that would have been wonderful. But in the circumstances that's not been possible."

Despite all this, she says her family has not risked anything or overstepped any boundaries that might put anyone at risk of Coronavirus.

"We haven't even hugged our dad. At the burial we couldn't do that. Despite all that, we feel we need to abide by the rules," she says.

"We need to do the very best that we can, to not spread it further."

Today's discussion of whether or not churches should reopen has been prompted in part by comments from Northern Ireland's agriculture minister.

Edwin Poots said churches should reopen now as part of a gradual series of measures to return to normality.

He said NI had "put coronavirus into reverse", and that people had got the message on the continued need for social distancing.

If off-licences could be trusted to stay open, churches could too, he said.

But Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said ministers should not publicly debate how the lockdown should be eased.

"My preference is to discuss these things at executive, be led by the evidence and medical advice, and come to an agreed position and communicate that very clearly through to the public," she said.

Read more here.

A Catholic priest tells Talkback reopening churches must be guided by scientific advice.

Fr Eddie Magee says there are many complex issues about reopening being discussed within the church.

“Even if the restrictions were lifted from a civil point of view we would still be guided by the science in weighing up what is the appropriate thing to do on balance in terms of the restrictions", Fr Magee says.

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He also says parishioners should not expect churches to run to a pre-pandemic norm when they do reopen.

“This would not be a return to normal, we would still have a lot of measures in place in terms of social distancing.”

He says church events like first communions and confirmations are still some way off.

“We would have to wait to much later before we could move anywhere near a normal where large numbers could gather,” Fr Magee says.

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"We are by no means out of the woods on this," Alliance Party councillor Sorcha Eastwood tells Talkback. She does not believe churches should be able to reopen yet.

"We have to understand there is a very clear need for clear and concise messaging on this public health issue.

"The key message is to stay at home to slow the spread and to save lives."

Ms Eastwood says she realises people feel a need to look forward to the future and get a bit of positivity.

"I think the work that people across NI have done so far in managing to save lives has been absolutely outstanding" she says

"We are still very much not through the peak of this."

She points out that this is not just about just churches and cathedrals, there are also small gospel halls and a lot of people observing Ramadan.

"Not all holy or religious spaces even offer themselves to social distancing," she says.

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Keeping churches closed amid the coronavirus pandemic is "a bitter pill to swallow", Reverend Kyle Paisley, a minister in the Free Presbyterian Church tells Radio Ulster's Talkback.

He said God could be prayed to and talked about, whether online or at home.

"It's the personal meetings with people, it's frustrating, it's a big loss," he says.

"As I said to a colleague, this hasn't been imposed as a matter of persecution, the lockdown is there for health reasons.

"We don't like our churches being closed, locked up but we can't pastor dead flocks and if the flock has a dead shepherd, it will scatter."

He added: "We have got to do our best until restrictions are eased."

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is recommending some people should consider taking daily vitamin D supplements throughout the coronavirus lockdown.

In a statement, the agency said due to lockdown restrictions many people are not getting the same exposure of sunlight as they normally would during the spring and summer months.

Caroline Bloomfield, the PHA’s lead on Nutrition and Healthy Eating, said Vitamin D is needed to "keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy".

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Ms Bloomfield recommended infants who are being breastfed, young children, pregnant women and those who are "not exposed to much sun" should consider taking the supplement.

The nutritionist said vitamin D is easily sourced from most pharmacies, but stressed that people should only buy what "you and your family need", to "ensure the supply chain is maintained for everyone".

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Should Northern Ireland's churches reopen?

That's the question beginning today's Talkback on Radio Ulster.

Among those who get great strength and comfort from their church is Helen McCune from Newtownards.

Her mother, Norma McBride, died with Covid-19 at the end of March. She'll be talking about what religion means to her at this time.

Also on Talkback are Reverend Kyle Paisley, a minister in the Free Presbyterian Church, and Alliance Party councillor Sorcha Eastwood - neither of them want to see churches reopening.

Catholic priest Fr Eddie Magee believes they should.

Listen live

More on the PPE discussion at Stormont's health committee.

Liam McIvor says there are normally stocks of PPE held by the BSO to support normal working, however he says there has been a significant increase in demand.

He adds that "not all areas have same requirements of PPE" and that "BSO distributes and procures to central points".

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Mr McIvor adds that since 1 March, 60m items of PPE have been distributed for use "throughout health and social care and in independent and community sector".

He adds: "At present, PPE is a sellers market and demand outstrips supply".

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The issue of PPE, and the shortage of it, remains a big issue everywhere - over at Stormont, it's being discussed by the health committee, which has just heard that 250,000 gowns that were diverted to GB have not yet been replaced.

The committee is hearing from Liam McIvor and Peter Wilson from the Business Services Organisation (BSO), which is responsible for getting goods, like PPE, to the health service.

Mr Wilson told the committee that gowns sent to GB haven't been replaced yet.

"We haven't run out of gowns yet, although stock is challenging in gowns," he says.

Mr McIvor says BSO is now in talks with a local supplier regarding a secure supply of gowns.

Mr Wilson also says the BSO normally carries four weeks stock but increased this to 12 weeks from January.

He says they have stocked up to meet the demands posed by Covid.

You can follow live coverage of the committee here.

Is it safe for places of worship to reopen their doors?

Pastor Mark McClurg, who was in intensive care with Covid-19, and Father Paddy McCafferty, parish priest at Corpus Christi in Ballymurphy, discussed whether places of worship should be reopened with Good Morning Ulster - you can listen to the full discussion below.