Economy minister seeks review of social distancing guidelines

The Economy Minister is seeking a formal review of Northern Ireland's social distancing measures.

It comes after the Prime Minister said people should remain two metres apart where possible but a "one metre-plus" rule will be introduced in England.

Boris Johnson said people would be encouraged to use "mitigation" - such as face coverings and not sitting face-to-face - when within 2m of each other and "where it is possible to keep 2m apart, people should".

Diane Dodds said: "I have made no secret of advocating on behalf of the industry.

"At one metre our restaurants and hotels, our coffee shops, are more viable than at two metres social distance.

"I wrote to my Executive colleagues and indicated that we should formally review that social distancing advice.

"We want our tourism industry to be sustained and be sustainable into the future and we need to make sure that the provision is there for them to do that in a way that is safe with all reasonable mitigation measures in place."

Robin Swann has said Northern Ireland's social distancing advice remains at two metres. Credit: Presseye

Health minister Robin Swann described the social distance relaxation in England as a "significant announcement" but said advice in Northern Ireland remains at two metres.

"We still believe that social distancing is a crucial tool in our fight against Covid-19, our recommendation still remains at two metres," he told the daily coronavirus briefing at Stormont on Tuesday.

"We will discuss further with the Executive on Thursday and if the Executive comes to a policy decision to reduce from two metres, that is one the Executive will take."

On Monday, First Minister Arlene Foster said the Stormont Executive is keeping the two-metre social distancing guideline "under review".

One additional coronavirus-linked death was announced in the region on Tuesday, bringing the death toll recorded by the Department of Health to 546.

However, no new cases were confirmed through tests conducted in health trust labs in the region, with the total recorded by the labs since the outbreak began remaining at 4,871.