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Most businesses have been forced to close their doors during the lockdown, which means they have no money coming in - but that hasn't stop the bills arriving.

Many traders are finding it difficult to pay rent on commercial leases during the pandemic and now Stormont's Finance Minister Conor Murphy has urged landlords to show "leniency" to tenants.

"My department inserted a provision into the Coronavirus Act 2020 that protects commercial tenants in situations where non-payment of rent would normally enable a landlord to treat a lease as forfeited," the minister said.

“I am disappointed to learn that some landlords are seeking to enforce a right of repossession or forfeiture of the lease for non-payment of rent."

He added: "I accept this is a challenging time for everyone, however, I would appeal to landlords to show leniency to businesses. We must work together to help businesses survive through this pandemic.”

Roger Pollen, from the Federation of Small Businesses, who said many local businesses are struggling under "immense" financial pressure.

"For those who are currently unable to trade, they have seen all sources of income dry up, while fixed costs and overheads remain."

He advised landlords and tenants to discuss how they can "share the burden of the closure of premises in a way that allows businesses to be sustainable in the future".

The number of pupils here who are not taking part in online classes has been described as “hugely worrying".

SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan says the low uptake needs investigated.

The call comes after the Assembly’s education committee was told 240,000 of 340,000 students in Northern Ireland are not using online classes.

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“It is hugely worrying that a vast majority of students in the north have not engaged with online classes since schools have been closed,” the West Tyrone MLA says.

“Not only could this impact on educational outcomes and exams, but it also calls into question whether other means of teaching students have been successfully deployed.”

Mr McCrossan has written to Stormont’s education minister to ask for “the root causes of this problem to be investigated immediately".

Schools here closed in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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Firms that fail to refund people for holiday and weddings cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak could face legal action by the consumer watchdog.

The Competition and Markets Authority says it will take companies to court if they flout the law.

It says four out of five complaints made to its Covid-19 Taskforce are about cancellations and refunds.

Issues include holidaymakers being pressured to take vouchers instead of refunds for accommodation.

Meanwhile, some wedding venues are refusing to refund any money.

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Northern Ireland's environment minister has again given his backing to opening churches and garden centres.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, Edwin Poots says bringing back "a little bit more normality" was needed.

The comments from Mr Poots contradicts some of the messaging from his colleagues in the executive, such as Health Minister Robin Swann who has urged the public not to be complacent.

Earlier, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said that ministers debating lifting lockdown measures in public was "not useful".

Image source, Environment Minister Edwin Poots

"If we can trust Winemark, or we can entrust the supermarkets to ensure that there aren’t too many people in their buildings at the one time, I think you trust churches social isolation can take place in their [buildings]," says Mr Poots.

On garden centres, Mr Poots says they could practice social isolation more effectively than supermarkets, and opening soon could allow them to sell seasonal items which would otherwise be wasted.

In the interview, the environment minister also says he did not see an issue with driving and it was his view the public should be able to visit isolated or vulnerable relatives if they can maintain social distancing.

Freedom - the joy of driving the long way along the road and buying yourself a takeaway coffee.

County Antrim woman Lisa Cole lives in New Zealand, where community transmission of Covid-19 has been stopped, effectively eliminating the virus.

The country has eased its lockdown measures, allowing people to go for coffee or McDonalds.

You can listen below to Lisa discuss how it felt to emerge from the strictest lockdown restrictions.

Continuing on Good Morning Ulster, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said that Northern Ireland "will have learnt nothing" if it goes back to how it was before the lockdown.

She said she was looking at changes to suit the current situation and build on the environmental benefits of the lockdown.

Citing examples from Dublin, the Hackney area in London, and New York, she said pop-up cycle lanes and extended footpaths were among the measures being looked at.

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"I am keen that while we are immediately dealing with this crisis, we have to keep an eye to the future and try to shape it so that we have places that are people-centred," she said.

Potential changes would come about through discussion between the department and local councils.

Ms Mallon said while her department is in a difficult financial position, the changes being looked at can be done "quickly" and at a low cost.

"We have to realise that social distancing is going to be with us for some time. That is going to require us to do things differently."

Ministers should not publicly debate lifting elements of the lockdown as it is "not useful", Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has said.

She was speaking to Good Morning Ulster following conflicting messages yesterday from Health Minister Robin Swann, who urged the public not to be complacent, and Environment Minister Edwin Poots, who said it was possible garden centres could reopen.

"My view on things like this is that it is so complicated and so sensitive, and yet people want to know that their ministers are hearing their concerns and are considering them," said Ms Mallon.

"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."

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Talks will continue on Thursday between union representatives and officials from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council over the future of 73 posts.

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

It said it needed to take action to balance the budget.

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

She said she shared councils' concerns about their ongoing financial sustainability.

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The first human trial in Europe for a coronavirus vaccine is continuing at Oxford University.

One of those taking part is Lydia Guthrie, who will today be injected with either a harmless meningitis vaccine or the trialled coronavirus vaccine.

She told Good Morning Ulster that she "has mixed feelings and it feels a bit unreal".

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The mother-of-two said she's had a lot of support from friends and family in the past week leading up to the trial.

"I’ve spent the week becoming more aware of the size and the scope of this global effort and feeling lucky to be a tiny part of it," she said.

"I'll go to the Churchill hospital site in Oxford and the vaccine team have some buildings on the site. They’ve put a great deal of thought into how this works, there are hundreds of volunteers and it works like clockwork.

"We all have a time to arrive and there’s a team of a doctor and a nurse in each clinic room wearing full protection equipment and they have it extremely well organised.

"It doesn’t really matter who develops the vaccine, as long as it gets done."

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The principal of a County Down secondary school says parents and pupils have lost up to £18,000 between them for a school trip that was cancelled last month due to concern over coronavirus.

Forty six pupils from New-Bridge Integrated College had booked to go to London on 16 March, but the school took the decision to cancel a few days before departure, because of the uncertainty over the unfolding health crisis.

Their cancellation came before the government's advice against unnecessary travel, but principal Anne Anderson said some concerned parents withdrew their children even before her decision to call it off.

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The school tried to get a refund from its travel agent, NSP Travel, and also offered to rearrange the trip at the end of this year, but have so far received neither.

"We've everyone looking at this, we've our own insurers, but few policies are written up to cope with a pandemic so at the moment we're not looking at any solution here for money back or a rescheduled trip"

In a statement, NSP Travel said the school had cancelled their trip before the UK government put in place restrictions on travel and were informed that it "would incur a 100% cancellation charge".

A Londonderry priest has backed calls for a "tentative" reopening of churches here.

“Where I stand is there has to be a gradual opening. I think we need to be careful, we need to be cautious, but I do think there needs to be some kind of opening,” Fr Michael Canny tells BBC Radio Foyle.

He says social distancing could be implemented given "the profile of the people who come to church and the numbers of people who come to church”.

A number of practical measures could be put in place to allow people to return to worship safely, Fr Canny says.

On Wednesday Environment Minister Edwin Poots suggested there could be a phased reopening of some churches that can adhere to social distancing.

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“One of the things I think they could start with is having the church open for solitary prayer but I also see no reason why we can’t have baptisms of small groups,” Fr Canny says.

“There could be small steps taken cautiously,” he adds.

His words were echoed by Fr Paddy McCafferty, who works in west Belfast. He told Good Morning Ulster that "the opening of the churches would be very desirable".

He said part of the Catholic tradition was "calling into the church, during the day, even just dropping in, lighting a candle to be in God’s presence".

"We can’t put anyone at risk. If this is to be done, it has to be done with a view to every safety measure and precaution," he added.

A pastor who was admitted to ICU with coronavirus says he prayed that those who attend his church would not also catch the disease.

Pastor Mark McClurg, of Newtownards Elim Church, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme he was admitted to hospital on 16 March, but had been in church on 15 March.

"I was praying for our church in case some of the older or more vulnerable would get coronavirus," he said.

Image source, Mark McClurgh

Pastor McClurgh was talking about the possibility of opening churches in Northern Ireland, and said it was something he would only like to see done if it was safe.

"I am not pushing for our church to be open, I love our older people," he said.

"But I just think it needs to be considered what needs to be in place, what measures."

Sainsbury's says that customers are likely to see disruption to their shopping until September amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Its boss Mike Coupe told the BBC that socially-distanced queues were likely to remain "for the foreseeable future".

In a trading update, the supermarket says it saw huge demand for groceries in March as concerned shoppers stockpiled goods.

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Sales growth peaked at 48% in the week to 21 March, but then subsided.

Mr Coupe told the BBC's Today programme that the peak of sales "was crazy".

"We sold more, for five days running, than we would normally sell in our busiest day at Christmas, that's why you saw the gaps on the shelf."

He added that amid the pandemic, the firm had seen "a very marked change in the way our customers are shopping".

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"What happens if this coronavirus doesn't go away... will there still be no beds for me and no ICU? Will I just go away and die?"

That's a question asked by Alan Mayberry who has oesophageal cancer, on Good Morning Ulster earlier.

Mr Mayberry, 67 who is from Larne was diagnosed in January.

He said that his chemotherapy sessions are going well and he had been scheduled for an operation to remove the tumour next week but, with coronavirus, that has been put on hold.

The doctors told him they couldn't guarantee him an intensive care bed and, because his immunity was so low due to the chemotherapy, they couldn't risk putting him near Covid-19 patients in ICU.

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"I was gutted," he said.

"Before that, they had spent really a lot of time explaining in detail how this surgery is really necessary and how good it was. Then they just turned around and said they had postponed it."

Mr Mayberry said he understood this was about immediate need but that he was concerned about how long he might have to wait.

"Everybody is waiting to see if coronavirus goes away or increases. My operation depends on that."

Leanna Byrne
BBC News NI

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Busineses on both sides of the border are calling for joined-up thinking on when the lockdown is eased.

"The fact is, that front door is closed and I don't know when it's going to open back up again," says Brian McDermott, owner of the Foyle Hotel in Moville, County Donegal.

This sentiment rings true for many hospitality businesses on both sides of the border.

Yet, depending on which side of the border your business was placed, your trade either stopped overnight or was waiting to come to a screeching halt.

"Moville is a destination for people in Northern Ireland to escape and all of that has all stopped," says Mr McDermott.

When the Republic of Ireland's lockdown restrictions were implemented, Mr McDermott closed his doors.

Read more here

Causeway Coast and Glens Council is reopening its recycling centres on Monday.

A telephone booking system opens this morning to secure a slot for the centres and only excess black bin rubbish is being accepted.

“Strict measures will be in place to ensure that social distancing rules are complied with. Staff will control access to facilities and limit the number of cars on site at any one time,” a council spokesperson says.

No vans or trailers will be allowed access to the recycling centres and the council has asked for patience from the public.

You can get more info here, external

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Millions of people in the UK will soon be asked to track their movements to limit the spread of coronavirus, writes BBC journalist Eleanor Lawrie.

The government is deploying 18,000 people to trace the contacts of those infected, and the wider public will be asked to get involved too.

So how does contact tracing work, do you have to take part - and what happens to your data?

Read more here

The Housing Executive is preparing for an increase in the number of people presenting as homeless because of the coronavirus outbreak, the organisation's area manager in the west tells BBC Radio Foyle.

"We think there will be a rise, we listen to reports about domestic violence, and other situations caused by coronavirus, and we are preparing for some kind of a surge," says Eddie Doherty.

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He says there had been a drop in the number of homeless over the last year prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

Image source, Downing Street

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a cabinet meeting later and then lead the daily coronavirus briefing for the first time since his return to work.

No 10 says the PM, whose fiancée gave birth on Wednesday, will update the UK on the "fight against this disease and the steps we are taking to defeat it".

But political editor Laura Kuenssberg says he was unlikely to give "chapter and verse" on lifting the restrictions.

No 10 also faces the deadline for its target of 100,000 daily virus tests.

Read more here.

British pub chain Wetherspoons has announced that it is planning to reopen its venues "in or around" June.

Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin and chief executive John Hutson will be taking 50% pay cuts, while other board members will also slash their salaries.

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The pub chain says it is also considering taking out a government-backed loan of up to £50m.

The news follows criticism of Mr Martin who told staff to take a job at Tesco after his pubs closed their doors.

Read more here.