Covid-19: Stay home order lifted in NI as restrictions ease

Northern Ireland's stay-at-home order has been lifted after being in place for more than three months, as further Covid lockdown restrictions ease.

People have been told to "stay local" and continue to work from home where they can.

Ten people from two households can meet up in private gardens and non-essential shops can resume click-and-collect.

All pupils in Northern Ireland also returned to school on Monday for the first time since Christmas.

Northern Ireland is the last part of the UK to lift its stay-at-home rule, which came into effect in January, in a bid to suppress a large rise in cases of coronavirus.

Other relaxations from Monday allow the reopening of outdoor retail, including:

The limit on the number of people allowed to attend a wedding, civil partnership or funeral has also been removed.

Venues instead will again have to assess how many people they can safely accommodate in line with a risk assessment.

The new rules allow a maximum of four people at a time to view a wedding venue, such as a hotel.

There are also further changes to the number of people allowed to play sport outdoors together from Monday, with groups of up to 15 people, including coaches, allowed to train together.

The Department for Communities has said five-a-side football training can take place "if organised by a club affiliated to a recognised governing body and with the appropriate protocols and mitigations in place".

There is a big announcement coming on Thursday

It's been well flagged up by the first and deputy first ministers that they expect dates to be laid out.

The data is now in the right place, hence we will now get a timeline on Thursday for what we can expect.

The smart money seems to suggest that 26 April will be the date that they will aim towards in terms of reopening non-essential retail and also hospitality reopening on that date in some form.

It might be outdoor hospitality only, it might be a combination of outdoor hospitality with limits on serving alcohol indoors - similar to what has been set out in Scotland.

And dear to many people's hearts, the whole issue of close-contact services - hairdressers, beauty salons, when they might get the nod for reopening - I wouldn't be surprised if that happened before 26 April, given that it is already up and running in other parts of the UK.

Paul Kee, director of Maiden City Soccer Academy in Londonderry, told BBC Radio Foyle the return of formalised training was "vitally important".

"The kids have suffered over this pandemic in particular, sport has suffered," he said. "It has taken away their natural way to get out and exercise and play.

"The most important thing is the activity, the child is out there playing, keeping active and keeping fit and being social as well."

However, many restrictions will remain in place, including:

New guidance for people identified as being clinically extremely vulnerable has also come into effect.

From Monday anyone who has been shielding and who cannot work from home is permitted to return to their workplace provided appropriate public safety measures are in place.

Further updates for those shielding are expected to be announced as part of a wider lifting of restrictions.

The next formal review of Northern Ireland's lockdown restrictions is due to happen on Thursday.

The executive will meet to consider proposals from Stormont ministers aimed at providing reopening dates for a number of sectors including retail, close-contact services such as hairdressers, tourism and hospitality.

On Monday, First Minister Arlene Foster said she hoped the executive would be able to provide an "indicative timeframe" on Thursday "because there are lots of people for business reasons, for well-being reasons, who will want that information".

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she was "hopeful".

"I wouldn't want to pre-empt the executive decision on Thursday but it's fair to say we're increasingly confident in our ability to be able to make more progress," she said.

"We have the headroom to be able to move - the vaccination programme being very strong, the ICU [intensive care unit] numbers coming down, the number of positive cases coming down, so that all leads to a very encouraging situation."

One date believed to be under consideration for reopening non-essential retail is 26 April, but it will require the support of the whole executive.

Northern Ireland has moved at a slower pace than other parts of the UK in easing its lockdown, which began on 26 December.

But ministers have said the virus has moved at a different rate and they want to ensure the lifting of restrictions is managed carefully so Northern Ireland does not have to re-enter lockdown.

The health and education ministers thanked the public for their "collective effort", but stressed the importance of continuing to follow public health advice.

Health Minister Robin Swann urged caution, "so we do not undo the hard-won progress we have made".

"It's vital the safety measures put in place are adhered to," he said.

Education Minister Peter Weir said the full return to school represented "a significant milestone", but added "the priority must be to keep our schools safe and ensure they remain open".

"Parents and guardians can play their part by wearing a mask when they are picking up or dropping off their child and not congregating around the school gates," he added.

More than one million Covid-19 vaccines have now been administered by officials running the vaccination programme in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Health.

Currently, anyone aged 40 or over can book their vaccine appointments at the regional centres.

The health minister said that "every jab takes us further down the pathway towards a better and safer future" and urged those eligible to book their appointment as soon as possible.