London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 20, 2025

Covid-19: Publication of NI lockdown exit plan delayed

Covid-19: Publication of NI lockdown exit plan delayed

Stormont ministers have met to discuss Northern Ireland's recovery plan from lockdown but it is now unlikely to be published until Tuesday.

Ministers had initially hoped to publish the plan on Monday but work to finalise details is ongoing.

It is understood the blueprint will focus on nine areas across social and business settings.

Each section will have five steps out of lockdown, guided by data.

That includes the infection rate of the virus, known as the R number, hospitalisations, vaccine rollout and progress in testing and tracing positive cases.


The delay comes as two more coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded by Northern Ireland's Department of Health.

A further 138 cases of the virus have been recorded in the past 24 hours.


The department's daily dashboard shows there are 302 Covid-19 inpatients across Northern Ireland's hospitals.

Thirty-four patients remain in intensive care and 29 coronavirus patients are on ventilators.

Retailers have been waiting for detail about when they can reopen

Executive ministers are due to meet on Tuesday morning with hopes of signing off the pathway-to-recovery document.

They will also discuss last week's decision by Agriculture Minister Gordon Lyons to halt work on post-Brexit border control posts, amid a row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The issue was raised during Monday's executive meeting with some ministers expressing concern that Mr Lyons had taken the decision without consulting other parties.

Speaking later in the assembly, Mr Lyons defended his actions as "entirely sensible and appropriate".

'Destroy the protocol'


The border control posts are based at ports and are used to check food products entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Mr Lyons, a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, said he was responding to "practical difficulties" but the move sparked a sharp reaction from Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party.

On Monday afternoon, DUP MP Sammy Wilson defended Mr Lyons' decision on border control posts and told BBC's Talkback programme the DUP would "fight the protocol with every means we have".

What might the recovery plan look like?


It is believed the Covid-19 lockdown exit plan includes nine "pathways" to take account of various parts of the Northern Ireland economy.

The plan is not expected to include indicative dates but will set out criteria that must be met before restrictions can be eased.

Northern Ireland's lockdown has been extended until 1 April, with a review due on 18 March.

In England and Scotland, lockdown exit plans that include target dates for easing restrictions have been published but the respective governments have said the lifting of the rules will only happen if certain conditions are met.


In Northern Ireland, children in pre-schools and pupils in primaries one to three will be the first return to class next Monday 8 March.

They will be followed by pupils in years 12 to 14 on 22 March.

Some children are due to return to schools in Northern Ireland next week

Pupils in other years do not yet know when they will return to school.

Meanwhile, some restrictions around visiting care homes and hospitals in Northern Ireland are being eased.

The new rules allowing at least one face-to-face visit per week by one person. Daily one-hour visits will be permitted in hospices and women attending maternity services will be able to have someone with them.

Care homes that do not have an outbreak will also be allowed to facilitate a variety of visiting arrangements, including indoors where possible.

In the Republic of Ireland, lockdown restrictions have been extended until 5 April but some pupils are already returning to school.

On Monday, the Republic recorded one more coronavirus-linked death which happened in January.

It brings the country's death toll to 4,319. A further 687 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×