Six-week lockdown from Boxing Day - curfew, sport hit, schools open 'for now'

Q Radio News/PA Media

Stormont's Health Minister has said the new six week lockdown being imposed on Boxing Day will see some of the "toughest" measures taken in Northern Ireland. 

Robin Swann said the restrictions are similar to those introduced back in March. 

"The message that we're back to is stay at home, work at home and look back to the behaviours, what things you were doing back in March. 

"It worked for us in Northern Ireland then and we believe it can work again."

The Stormont Executive has agreed to close non-essential retail and close contact services, as well as restricting the hospitality sector to takeaway only from December 26th. 

No sporting events will be permitted, with an overarching message to the public to stay at home. 

However, the festive bubbling arrangements will be permitted. 

Health Minister Robin Swann said it wasn't an easy decision. 

"It wasn't an easy decision."

Health Minister Robin Swann says it's "necessary" for Northern Ireland to enter a six-week lockdown on Boxing Day as COVID case rates continue to rise. He says the six weeks will be reviewed after four in lockdown.https://t.co/EtZnzv5TTL pic.twitter.com/DoJK1PWd45

— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 18, 2020

Meanwhile, Stormont's Deputy First Minister says the measures are “draconian but necessary", with stricter rules in place for the first week of lockdown. 

🎥 "Obviously the situation in terms of COVID is quite dire"

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill says "it was quite clear... that an urgent intervention was required" and announces a six week lockdown in Northern Ireland starting on Boxing Day pic.twitter.com/iX1OuN5mCa

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) December 17, 2020

The first week of the intervention will include an 8pm curfew for essential shops.

All the measures are set to be reviewed after four weeks.

🎥 Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill says the six-week lockdown from Boxing Day will include the shutting of all non-essential shops with holiday sport wiped out. pic.twitter.com/pUIeNqw6fc

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) December 17, 2020

Michelle O’Neill said schools were also discussed and ministers agreed they should remain “open for now”, but added the health and education departments will discuss more moves such as blended learning.

“That conversation continues and I expect that both health and education will be able to say more about that over the course of the days ahead,” she said.

Ms O’Neill said without this action the health service would be “completely crushed” by January.

“Whilst this is draconian in many ways, it’s necessary, and this is about saving lives, this is about saving the health service and this is about taking some pressure off the health care staff,” she told reporters at Stormont on Thursday evening.

“We’ve never been in such a bad position as we are now and will be in January if this didn’t happen now.”

She described what ministers have agreed as a “longer and deeper intervention”.

“That’s been a collective position from the Executive that has been arrived at this evening,” she said.

Health minister Robin Swann says in the 1st week of new 6-week lockdown from Boxing Day people shouldn’t leave their homes after 8pm. Households won’t be allowed to mix at all. Also, by tonight almost 10,000 people here will have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. pic.twitter.com/O6DS2SWIjo

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) December 17, 2020

Health minister Robin Swann said the restrictions will come into effect from midnight on Christmas, effective from Boxing Day.

“The Executive has probably taken its hardest decision, its most deep decision, in regards to how we have had to combat Covid-19 collectively,” he said.

“We will be looking to a six week lock down where the message will be work from home, stay at home.

“Anyone who hears tonight’s decision will realise when they have seen the pressure our that health has been under due to the number of Covid cases, I hope understands why and accepts why we have had to make these decisions.

“There is no other way.”

Mr Swann said almost 10,000 people have received the coronavirus vaccination, mostly care home workers and care home residents.

“When we look at what we’ve announced here tonight, it is with that look to the future… vaccines and the opportunity they can bring,” he said.

“The vaccine brings too much of an opportunity to lose over the next few weeks.”

He added: “The main message coming out from the decisions tonight is when you think about what you are going to do today, what you are going to do tomorrow, imagine you are back at the start of the year, imagine that initial lockdown. Manage your activities, manage your day to day life as to how you did then, because it worked for us then.”

There has been criticism of the latest lockdown from business leaders:

Belfast Chamber chief Simon Hamilton, a former DUP minister, says the new six-week lockdown is "a massive failure and a reflection of the Executive’s inability to chart a different course with businesses and jobs the collateral damage..."

Full statement: pic.twitter.com/bWoxNaw5gb

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) December 17, 2020

Case numbers continue to rise in Northern Ireland despite the recent two-week circuit-breaker.

Health chiefs have cited low compliance with the regulations and guidance as a reason infections, hospital admissions and death rates remain relatively high.

Hospitals across the region are running over capacity.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service announced on Thursday that paramedics from the Irish Republic are set to bolster their numbers this weekend.

Michael Bloomfield, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), said the move is “relatively unusual” and reflects the pressure they are under.

On Tuesday, queues of ambulances were witnessed at accident and emergency departments (EDs) across Northern Ireland as patients were treated in car parks due to a lack of capacity inside the hospitals.

At one point 17 ambulances containing patients were lined up outside the ED at Antrim Area Hospital.

Earlier, the Department of Health’s dashboard revealed a further 12 people with Covid-19 had died in Northern Ireland, bringing the region’s toll to 1,154.

Another 656 new cases of the virus were notified, while figures indicated pressure remained high on hospitals with 460 Covid-19 positive patients, including 32 in intensive care.

The hospital occupancy rate was 104%.