Northern Ireland’s lockdown exit strategy offers a “careful, cautious and hopeful” plan for charting a journey out of restrictions, Michelle O’Neill has said.
Outlining the Pathway to Recovery plan to the Stormont Assembly on Tuesday, the deputy First Minister said the region would turn a corner in the battle against Covid-19 in 2021, but she stressed “we are not out of the woods”.
“This is a day very much of hope,” said Ms O’Neill.
It 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.
The blueprint does not include any target dates, with ministers instead insisting decisions on moving between stages will be based on scientific and medical evidence, not the calendar.
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