Covid-19: All pupils to return to school after Easter

Pupils in all primary and post-primary schools will return to school after the Easter holidays.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the Department of Education confirmed that face-to-face teaching will resume from 12 April.

It is one of a number of new lockdown easing measures agreed on Thursday.

The NI Executive has also decided to reopen some outdoor non-essential retail from that same date.

It will also extend reopening to motor home dealers, car washes, garden centres and plant nurseries.

Meanwhile, the limit of 25 people at marriages, civil partnerships and funerals will also be lifted from 12 April.

Instead it will be up to individual venues to determine how many guests they can safely accommodate.

Up to four people will also be allowed at viewings of wedding venues.

Outdoor sports training can also resume from 12 April for small groups of 15 people from sports clubs affiliated with recognised governing bodies.

The next formal review of the lockdown restrictions will take place on 15 April.

Other previously announced measures to ease lockdown came into force earlier, including new rules to allow some meeting up outdoors and the return of some sports, such as golf and tennis.

Garden centres are also now allowed to offer click-and-collect services.

An executive meeting to confirm the details around the future easing of restrictions took place earlier on Thursday.

With the exception of some pupils returning to school in March, the changes that take place on Thursday are the first since NI returned to full lockdown on 26 December.

However most of the rules which have been in force have not been altered, including the stay-at-home rule.

From Thursday, up to six people from two households are allowed to meet in a private garden.

The executive advises that people should maintain social distancing during these gatherings.

If there is no alternative route, people are able to enter a garden by going through a house.

Only shops which are deemed to be essential retail are currently allowed to open, as has been the case for much of the pandemic.

As well as garden centres, plant nurseries are also able to offer click-and-collect services.

Up to 10 people from no more than two households can now take part in outdoor exercise together in a public place or at a sports club.

It meant the return of sports such as golf and tennis on Thursday.

However, clubhouses and any other indoor facilities - including changing rooms, showers, kitchens and meeting rooms - associated with these sports will remain closed.

The rule changes apply to all levels of sport and not just at the elite level.

In a tweet, Economy Minister Diane Dodds said it was "good news that my Economic Recovery Action Plan will be funded in full, that outdoor retail can reopen on 12 April and that my proposal to continue to support large hospitality sector was agreed".

Mrs Dodds said the news was "another step towards reopening, recovering and rebuilding the economy".

Further loosening of restrictions is due on 12 April, subject to being approved by the executive after the Easter weekend.

Dr Gerry Waldron from the Public Health Agency told BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster on Thursday that he understood the current restrictions were "difficult" for people, but urged them to "keep the brakes on".

"We are heading into our second Easter where we are severely restricted in terms of what we can do, but the reason for this is that we want to keep our people safe," he said.

"We are in a position at the moment where things are going reasonably well, the numbers are coming down, we have a vaccination programme in place that is very successful and we are getting to a better place, but we really don't want to be in a position after Easter where we see the numbers ramping up again."

Meanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has announced £1.3m in additional funding for Northern Ireland hospices.

The one-off funding is in recognition of the impact of Covid-19 on the services delivered by the four hospices.