Covid-19: NI hairdressers and outdoor attractions reopen

Close-contact services such as hairdressers reopened and driving lessons resumed on Friday as Northern Ireland's Covid restrictions ease.

Outdoor visitor attractions opened their doors for the first time since lockdown was imposed after Christmas.

Competitive sports involving 100 people can also resume after Stormont ministers agreed reopening dates earlier this month.

Outdoor hospitality businesses and non-essential shops will open next Friday.

Northern Ireland has eased its coronavirus restrictions at a slower pace than other parts of the UK, with Stormont ministers and officials stressing differences in the rate of transmission of the virus.

The current reproduction (R) number in Northern Ireland, which measures how quickly the virus is spreading, is estimated to be between 0.7 and 1.05, down from 0.95-1.4 the previous week.

As of Friday 23 April, static band practice and rehearsals are also permitted in agreed outdoor locations.

New Covid-19 regulations released on Thursday state that people must book appointments in order to get a haircut or attend a beauty salon.

Gillian Herron, the owner of the Hair Lounge in Bangor, said reopening was "a big change".

"We are quite a large salon so we are very, very lucky in that we're able to space our clients out," she told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"So we haven't had to put screens up as such.

"We have a massive backlog of clients trying to get in, so there are an awful lot of disappointed clients having to wait longer than we'd want to."

First Minister Arlene Foster said on Thursday the Northern Ireland Executive will "keep looking" to see if Covid restrictions can be eased faster.

But she added the effect of easing restrictions needed to be monitored.

Health Minister Robin Swann said easing restrictions had been hard-earned, but that did not mean we can "ease up in our attitude towards the virus".

"We must not jeopardise the important progress made to date or do anything that could impede our pathway towards a better summer," he said.

He warned that nobody should think the threat from the virus was going "to simply fade away".

The average daily number of new cases being confirmed in Northern Ireland has risen slightly.

The seven-day rolling average of new positive cases is 41 per 100,000 people, up from 38 the previous week.

This "modest increase" is particularly in the 0-11 age group and appears to be stabilising, health officials say, adding that this may be partly due to the return of school and the rollout of testing for close contacts.

Northern Ireland took gradual steps out of lockdown earlier this month, when all pupils returned to school for the first time since Christmas.

It was 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.

From 30 April, further restrictions are expected to ease, including the reopening of non-essential retail and the reopening of licensed and unlicensed premises outdoors.

The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) said all efforts were being made to clear the backlog of driving tests once the system reopens on Friday.

Jeremy Logan, DVA chief executive, said there was no question demand would be high.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds said the easing of measures allowed people "to hope again that we can actually recover after the terrible time we have had with the pandemic".

Mrs Dodds said this next stage would bring "a bit of normality back on our high street".

"No matter what we can give them in terms of grants to sustain them, it is nothing compared to being open and thriving and people coming in and out of the retail setting."

Mrs Dodds said she would soon reveal plans for a high street voucher scheme, costing £140m.

The minister said it would be released at the "optimum" time to act as a stimulus after an expected period of "pent-up demand".

Geraldine Duggan, Belfast City Centre Manager, said the long-awaited reopening of businesses was "a game changer".

"Seeing close-contact services opening and now next week as well, retail and hospitality, it's going to be a big difference," she said.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin has said the easing of lockdown restrictions in the Republic of Ireland would not be perfectly aligned with Northern Ireland.

The Irish government is not due to announce relaxations until next month.

"I don't see perfect alignment or anything in the next number of weeks. There will be some gaps," Mr Martin told Northern Ireland business leaders on Thursday.