COVID-19: 'I won't rule out further restrictions,' Robin Swann
Robin Swann has re-iterated his warning that another period of lockdown may have to be implemented before Christmas.
The Health Minister said it was likely he would be asking for further restrictions before the scheduled reopening of the hospitality sector at the end of the month.
On Friday, Mr Swann said: "Restrictions on our daily lives will have to continue to help stop the spread of the virus. If I have to recommend further interventions to the Executive to prevent vital services being overwhelmed, I will not hesitate to do so."
After four days of acrimonious exchanges, a majority of ministers finally backed a proposal that saw the region's four-week circuit-break lockdown extended by one week followed by a phased reopening of hospitality businesses.
Mr Swann voted for the proposals but only reluctantly. He had wanted a comprehensive two-week extension of the lockdown and said he only voted for the compromise deal as ministers had "run out of time'' and a failure to strike a deal would have resulted in all the restrictions on hospitality lapsing by default on Friday night.
He said: "I'm disappointed, I'm embarrassed and ashamed that it took us to Thursday to actually come up with this compromise agreement, that doesn't go in my opinion far enough.''
The minister has made clear he will be asking for changes to the current plans before they are fully rolled out.
Cafes and coffee shops, along with close contact services such as hairdressers, are due to reopen on Friday November 20, with the rest of the hospitality sector to open on November 27.
"Between now and the 27th, I would say I'm near enough confident I will be coming again to the executive with a number of recommendations in regards to what will happen post the 27th,'' he told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme.
"What I am saying, I don't think that it would be possible for hospitality to open up on the 27th the way we knew yet.
"There will be additional recommendations, there will be additional things put in place and that will be worked out between now and the 27th.''