Health Minister Robin Swann has urged the people of Northern Ireland not to be tempted to visit friends and family or hold New Year's Eve parties dubbing them not only illegal but 'super-spreader events'.
The Stormont Minister has issued the stark warning for people to adhere to strict new lockdown restrictions which came into force on Boxing Day in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.
This week – December 26 to January 2 – sees additional restrictions in place, including closure of essential and non-essential retail from 8pm to 6am.
Mr Swann said: “We need another huge collective effort across society to push down Covid infection rates. We do that by reducing our contacts with others, by staying at home, by keeping our distance from others if we need to be outdoors for good reason, and by wearing a face covering and washing our hands.
“This will save lives and ease the pressures on our health service at this most challenging time.
“I know how tough 2020 has been and how fed up we all are with this virus. But I am confident we can all pull together once again at this critical time.
“2021 is a year of renewed hope with the vaccine roll-out. We need a concerted and united push in the next few months to get us to a better place.”
The Minister also warned against visiting friends and family and urged people not to have New Year's Eve house parties.
“Please stay at home as much as possible. Please don’t be tempted to visit friends this week. It’s not just about complying with the regulations, it's about keeping yourself and others safe.
“A New Year’s Eve house party would not just be against the law. It could be a super-spreader event, could leave people very seriously ill and could even cost lives.”
The Northern Ireland Executive is underlining the ‘Stay at Home’ message this week with adverts on TV and radio.
