London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Coronavirus: Robin Swann wants to remove Covid restrictions this week

Coronavirus: Robin Swann wants to remove Covid restrictions this week

Health Minister Robin Swann has said he is taking legal advice on how he can "replace the bulk of remaining Covid-19 restrictions", adding that "this week" is the right time to remove them.

Mr Swann was speaking after the resignation of First Minister Paul Givan.

This was in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Givan's resignation means the Northern Ireland Executive cannot meet.

The executive - Northern Ireland's government - was due to discuss removing remaining Covid restrictions on Thursday.

However, Mr Swann said he was not "prepared to allow a failure of politics to get in the way of lifting now unnecessary restrictions".

"I am now seeking that legal guidance on how I myself can replace the bulk of the remaining restrictions, if not all of them, with clear guidance and advice," he told a press conference on Monday.

"When we had an executive, ministers always said we wouldn't retain restrictions for a day longer than necessary, so that same logic should still apply.

"While we must move forward carefully, we can't stay locked in emergency restrictions forever."

He added: "We need to start getting normal back and that means moving cautiously out of the current legal phase of the Covid response - I hope this will be a permanent decision.

"The virus remains unpredictable, but we will take one day at a time."

What Covid restrictions remain?


So-called Covid passports remain in place for nightclubs as well as for indoor unseated and partially-seated events with 500 or more people in attendance.

A maximum number of 30 people are permitted to gather.

The minimum self-isolation period for people testing positive for Covid-19 is five full days, subject to negative lateral flow tests on days five and six of a person's isolation.

Other rules still in force include:

*  the legal duty on retail to take reasonable measures to reduce the risk of transmission

*  the legal requirement to wear face coverings and the associated duty on businesses to take reasonable measures to ensure compliance

*  the legal requirement for risk assessments in prescribed settings

*  the legal requirement for recording visitor information in prescribed settings

*  the remaining legal requirements in relation to Covid-status certification

*  the guidance on the regular use of lateral flow testing, and in particular before meeting up with others.

Last month, Northern Ireland ministers had announced a relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions that were introduced in December due to the Omicron variant.

Mr Swann said on Monday that while the pandemic was "certainly not over", it was his hope "that we are through the worst of this current wave".

New Covid restrictions were introduced in December after the emergence of the Omicron variant


"Whilst transmission levels are likely to remain high for some time, as a result of the vaccination programme and the high levels of natural immunity we can expect hospital numbers to continue to gradually decline.

"We have real reason to be optimistic."

'Keep making safer choices'


He said the "story this week" should have been about public adherence to the rules and the "sacrifice of health workers" that had brought about the potential for restrictions to be removed.

However, he added, "the absence of a first or deputy first minister has removed the opportunity for those discussions at an executive meeting".

Mr Swann said removing legal regulations around coronavirus "does not mean a free for all or throwing caution to the wind".

"We can and must keep making safer choices in our daily lives for the sake of others, as well as ourselves."

Two further Covid-19-related deaths were reported in Northern Ireland by the Department of Health on Monday.

Another 3,105 cases of coronavirus were reported in Northern Ireland on Monday, up from 2,694 on Sunday.

The total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the start of the pandemic is 3,130.


'We have both hands tied behind our back'


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×