NI Covid-19 regulations now ‘under daily review’ as Michelle O’Neill cannot rule out imposing new restrictions before end of December

Top NI venue reveals it will not reopen until 2021

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Subscribe              Dec 8, 2020           Good afternoon Today we've had the very welcome news that the roll-out for the coronavirus vaccine is underway in Northern Ireland. Joanna Sloan, 28, a sister in charge of Covid vaccination for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust received the vaccine just after 8am this morning.  It also emerged that the first ever recipient of the vaccine in the world - outside trial conditions - was a 90-year-old woman from Enniskillen. Margaret Keenan received the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid marking the start of the UK's mass vaccination programme. Matron May Parsons administered Ms Keenan's vaccine at at 06.30 GMT at University Hospital, Coventry. Michelle O'Neill has said she cannot rule out imposing new restrictions before end of December. She revealed Covid-19 regulations in Northern Ireland are now under daily review. "We have to keep everything under review, everything must be on the table," the deputy First Minister. From a more positive outlook Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that he expects Covid restrictions can start to be lifted from spring next year and has "great hopes" for a more normal summer. He said, "We've said that we think that, from the spring, things can start getting back to normal, and, because we've been able to get this vaccination programme going sooner than anywhere else in the world, we'll be able to bring that date forward a bit.   Have a good evening  Michael Cousins Deputy digital editor Digital subscriptions to the News Letter are available from only £1 a month for the first 3 months. That will give you unlimited access to our content along with our subscriber only interactive puzzles. 70% fewer ads and with the digital+ option you can also access the newspaper app edition. You can see all the options here.            NI Covid-19 regulations now 'under daily review' as Michelle O'Neill cannot rule out imposing new restrictions before end of December           The deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, has revealed Covid-19 regulations in Northern Ireland are now under daily review by the Executive and explained she cannot rule imposing additional restrictions before the end of December.                 'Podium of doom' — NI Health Minister Robin Swann responds to colleagues' criticism of his dire coronavirus warnings   Health Minister Robin Swann has said he has a duty to bring a message of "realism" after political colleagues described his weekly press conferences as a "podium of doom".           Lockdown restrictions could be required between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve as number of new infections continues to rise   The Northern Ireland Executive is not ruling out imposing lockdown restrictions in the days beetween Christmas and New Year, sources close to the Executive have confirmed.           Death toll jumps up to 1,073 after 14 more people die - 351 people test positive for virus - total of 421 patients in our hospitals fighting COVID-19 and 28 in ICU   Another 14 people have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the Department of Health.           Top NI venue reveals it will not reopen until 2021 - 'as soon as restrictions ease a little whereby we can offer you some closer approximation of a proper Limelight night out'   A top NI nightclub has revealed that it is not going to reopen this weekend in spite of the planned lifting of restrictions by the NI Executive.           £500k Lisburn lights show - councillors now say there must be a full risk assessment before it can reopen to the public   Councillors are calling for a full risk assessment into the suspended Lisburn Light Festival.           First person to receive vaccine in Northern Ireland is nurse from Co Down - 'I feel privileged and honoured and a little bit emotional that we have got here – very, very grateful'   The first person to receive the vaccine in Northern Ireland was a nurse who will play a key role in the vaccination programme at the country's main hospital.                 View more news

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