REVEALED: 'Careful, cautious and hopeful' NI plan to exit COVID-19 lockdown

Northern Ireland finally has a plan for coming out of lockdown.

The Stormont Executive has agreed on an exit strategy that will include a phased approach to relaxing restrictions - rather than an actual time-frame for the re-opening of sectors.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill made the announcement this afternoon in the Assembly Chamber.

The plan focuses on nine key areas - retail; hospitality; education and young people; work; culture, heritage and entertainment; sports and leisure; travel and tourism; worship and ceremonies; home and community.

Each will emerge from lockdown in stages.

The stages are lockdown; cautious first steps; gradual easing; further easing; and preparing for the future.

Ministers have already made clear the blueprint will be led by data, not dates, with decisions on when to move between stages based on scientific and medical evidence, not the calendar.

Keeping the reproductive rate of the virus below 1 will be a guiding principle.

The Executive will review the progress of the pathway at set points, understood to be every four weeks.

Meanwhile, P1 to P3 primary school children will return to school on March 8, and on March 22 secondary school children in key exam years - years 12-14 - will go back to class.

All schoolchildren will be expected to return to class as soon as possible after the Easter holidays.

The Deputy First Minister said today's plan was a "careful cautious and hopeful approach."

She said it was time to look forward in a hopeful way but recognising the huge risks which remained.

Ms O'Neill said: "Great care is still needed.

"That is why the Executive has agreed today a careful, cautious and hopeful approach to existing restrictions and we will be publishing that later today for everyone to see.''

And she added: "This leaves time for decisions to be properly informed by the health, community and economic data, and to see the real-time impact of the prevalence of the virus.

"That time will be used carefully to look at the results of the regular modelling and assess if it is safe to take the next step.

"This is a risk-based strategy and one which we hope will be understood in the current Covid-19 context.''

The Deputy First Minister said the aim was to find "a safe, secure, sustainable and understandable way forward for our citizens, sectors and businesses. And we will be hopeful, optimistic and realistic in our pathway."

She said: "We recognise that our citizens need that hope and that they will understand the need to move carefully through the coming months.

"Hope and care are equally important and that requires a balanced approach. Our approach is built on some core considerations and we will set those out now.''

Michelle O'Neill said keeping restrictions in place will only be done if that is necessary and proportionate to the threat from Covid-19.

She said ministers would work with the Irish Government and administrations in Great Britain.

The minister added: "Evidence-based necessity, proportionality and sustainability will be key to all decisions, and we will be driven by health, economic and societal impacts and informed by key data sets in those sectors.

"We will work towards the gradual and careful reopening of nine sectors which are vitally important for our citizens and their families.

"These are: home and community, education and young people, worship and ceremonies, sports and leisure activities, work, retail, hospitality, travel and tourism, and culture, heritage and entertainment.''

Michelle O'Neill said the Executive was committed to getting education back as quickly as possible for the sake of children and young people, for their education, wellbeing and future aspirations.

"We will do this for parents too and in partnership with our colleagues in the education system who are working so hard to adapt to the current pressures.''

She added: "It is vitally important that all of this is grounded in the reality of the pandemic. Covid-19 continues to impact every aspect of our lives.

"The new variants are a sharp reminder of the need for care.

"Our health responses have developed considerably over the past 12 months and we have a debt of gratitude to everyone who has worked in the health and social care sector.''

She said: "After each step we take, we will pause and reflect, look at the data and the impacts, engage with key sectors and enable them to reopen only if it is the right thing to do.

"That gives us all the best chance of achieving sustainable steps and to avoid another lockdown.''

Ms O'Neill added: "We publish our documents today and we ask everyone to take time to read and digest, to think about the need for caution in our approach, to continue to follow the public health advice, and most certainly to take the vaccine when it is offered.

"We have hope for this year, and we will get there together.''

Click on the link for full plan.

www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/publications/executives-pathway-out-restrictions

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