London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Executive considering 'new interventions' on Covid

The executive is actively considering "additional planned interventions" to deal with the spread of Covid-19, the health minister has said.

Robin Swann said he did not "want a return to a long-term or indefinite lockdown".

Meanwhile public health experts in the Republic of Ireland have recommended the highest level of restrictions be applied to the entire country.

It is expected politicians will meet the chief medical officer on Monday.

A further 462 cases of Covid-19 were announced by the Department of Health on Sunday.

One person has died in the past 24 hours after testing positive.

There are 65 people in hospital after testing positive for the virus, of whom nine are in intensive care.

In the Republic of Ireland, 364 new Covid-19 cases were recorded on Sunday, with no new deaths reported.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said "any notion of a circuit breaker only works if it's across the Island of Ireland".

'Reduce contacts'


The executive's Chief Scientific Advisor, Prof Ian Young, said "other levers are likely to be needed" in addition to NI-wide restrictions on household gatherings.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, he said the hospitality sector was the "second most important" for interventions "to reduce adult contacts".

He said contacts in this sector "tend to be closer and longer" than in many other settings, while alcohol consumption "will also be a factor in failure to comply with social distancing".

Prof Young added there had been a "number of identified clusters associated with the hospitality sector", however, minister will have to weigh up measures "while also seeking to mitigate adverse consequences for society and the economy".

Earlier, Stormont Finance Minister Conor Murphy told BBC's Sunday Politics that "all options" would be discussed when the executive meet on Monday.

Meanwhile, a 46-year-old woman has been charged with breaching coronavirus regulations in Strabane.

The woman is the first person in Northern Ireland to be charged under the new legislation.

She is due appear at Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Mr Murphy said he was "concerned" about the rising cases, adding "as are all of the executive".

"The primary focus of the executive is to protect life and whatever steps have to be taken we will take them," he said.

"We have to take a balanced view and one which we are sure the population will come along with us."

Robin Swann said NI's hospitals were "already under growing pressure and this will intensify in the coming weeks given the extent of the new cases".

"Concrete action has been taken by the executive on a number of fronts and I will not hesitate to recommend further restrictions," he continued.

"Saving lives and protecting our health service must come first."

The health minister also urged people not to "look for loopholes or grey areas in the regulations".

New restrictions for the Derry City and Strabane Council area were announced by the Stormont executive on Thursday in an effort to stem spiralling infection numbers.

They include hospitality businesses being limited to takeaway, delivery and outdoor dining, and a call to avoid unnecessary travel.

'Brace ourselves'


Speaking about the rise in cases across NI, Dr Gerry Waldron of the Public Health Agency said a circuit-breaker lockdown was "almost inevitable".

A circuit breaker is a short, sharp period of tightened restrictions for everyone to curb the spread of coronavirus.

"It's not a place we expected to be at this time of the year, at the beginning of October, we thought, if anything, we might be seeing that maybe middle of October," he told Radio Ulster's Sunday with Steven Rainey show.

"We are absolutely insisting that people follow the advice of maintaining a social distance from other individuals, as far as possible, of two metres.

"We'll just have to brace ourselves and see how things pan out over the next few days and the next week."

He stressed the need to stick to the basics - keep a social distance, wear a face mask and keep washing your hands.



Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Boris Johnson urged people to behave "fearlessly but with common sense" in their approach to the coronavirus.

The prime minister warned of a "bumpy ride" until Christmas and beyond, saying the winter could be "very tough" for everyone.

He added there had to be a balance between saving lives and protecting the economy.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×