Covid-19: Foster defends executive's 'cautious' approach

Retail groups are unhappy that no dates for reopening have been set

Arlene Foster has said she knows people want Covid restrictions eased faster, but the last thing she wants is to have to "step backwards" again.

The first minister was speaking after the executive announced the first key changes to the restrictions on Tuesday.

Business groups have criticised the lack of dates provided for when they will be able to reopen.

It comes as Northern Ireland's four main churches will return to public worship in time for Easter.

The Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in Northern Ireland will resume in-person services from Good Friday, 2 April.

The Catholic Church has confirmed there will be a "cautious" return a week earlier, from 26 March.

Meanwhile, the Health Minister Robin Swann on Wednesday addressed a reduction in vaccine supplies announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Mr Swann tweeted that "we are currently considering what impact if any" the announcement would have on vaccination plans in Northern Ireland.

"Our vaccination programme will continue in the coming weeks and more people will continue to receive first and second doses," he said.

"As has been the case since the programme began, the number of vaccinations carried out over time will vary due to supply however our programme is presently ahead of schedule and as ever we will be able to adapt to any changes in circumstances as they arise."

'Hope we can move faster'

Earlier, on Good Morning Ulster, Mrs Foster said it was vital that coronavirus was kept under control in Northern Ireland and that restrictions have to be lifted "in a slow way".

"We are in a five-party executive; from my perspective we would like to move in a more steady way, others are more cautious.

"However I do think it is very important that we do need to protect all of our services in our healthcare - and the best way to protect all of our services and our healthcare system is to make sure that we don't see another rise in Covid cases."

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Mrs Foster added: "I know that there is a great desire to open up in a faster fashion. Our taskforce in the executive will not just look at the health data, which of course is important, but the economic and societal data as well

"We're doing that on a rolling basis.

"Last year, when we had that flexibility built into our plan, it allowed us to move a little faster that some other jurisdictions and my hope and desire is that that will be the case in this case as well."

Northern Ireland has been in lockdown since 26 December.

Measures announced on Tuesday to ease the lockdown include the return of all primary school children to school from Monday, other school groups from 12 April and more people allowed to meet outdoors from 1 April.

Garden centres can resume click-and-collect services from 1 April and other non-essential shops from 12 April.

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said he was "bitterly disappointed" that the executive had given "no dates, no timeframes, no nothing" for businesses to reopen.

"It is exceptionally frustrating when we are putting forward ideas on how we can make our high streets safe, cut down transmission levels of the virus and reassure consumers, but nothing is being done," Mr Roberts said.

Arlene Foster said she would have liked to see more restrictions eased but caution was necessary

"If we don't get some indication of when our economy is allowed to reopen, then we're going to off-the-scale unemployment, business failure, huge off-the-scale levels of mental health problems in our society."

Dawn McLaughlin, chief executive of Derry Chamber, said some business felt like they are no further forward.

"What we would ask the executive is to provide a bit of hope to our members and to businesses throughout NI, give them some clarity in terms of indicative dates, not necessarily actual dates, but at least give them time to plan, time to organise," she said.

"A bit of clarity, a bit of time - we all understand if the numbers go the wrong way it'll have to be postponed, but give them that hope and that clarity."

William Montgomery, who runs a garden centre in County Armagh, said the return of click and collect was a small but welcome step.

"Realistically we're probably only going to be looking at 10%-15% of sales probably that we would normally do at this time of year," he said.

"But it will get us through, it will get rid of some stock that we have there that currently we can't sell."

No deaths in NI

No new Covid-19 related deaths were reported in NI on Wednesday.

The Department of Health said there had been 161 new coronavirus cases within the last 24 hours.

In the Republic of Ireland the Irish Department of Health announced 17 more deaths related to Covid-19 on Wednesday.

Nine of those deaths occurred in March, four in February, and four occurred in January or earlier bringing the total to 4,566 deaths overall.

There were 557 more confirmed cases bringing the total number to 228,215 to date.