BREAKING: Health minister warns "the summer is over" in the fight against Coronavirus

By Q Radio news

Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said he would be asking fellow ministers to tighten coronavirus restrictions during an “important” Executive meeting tomorrow.

He said: “The message is simple. The summer is over.

In common with other jurisdictions we have decisions to make on how we stem a disturbing increase in Covid cases.

I believe concrete action is now necessary.

Stormont’s health minister Robin Swann says he will recommend a tightening of COVID19 restrictions to the Executive which will discuss measures tomorrow - to include limits on contact between people

“The summer is over” is his simple message pic.twitter.com/jyivKKwRHK

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) September 9, 2020

NI's chief scientific advisor Prof Ian Young says increased testing is NOT the explanation for a twenty-fold increase in coronavirus cases since the start of July - now averaging 90 a day. pic.twitter.com/V3B3t9DgET

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) September 9, 2020

Northern Ireland’s chief scientific adviser to ministers combating the pandemic, Professor Ian Young, said there had been a 20-fold increase in the number of cases in recent times compared to just a five-fold rise in the number of tests.

The daily average is now over 90.

Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said: “We are now at a crossroads, individually and collectively.

As a society we have stark choices to make.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride warns young people in Northern Ireland they are not immune from COVID19.

He also pleaded with them not to risk bringing coronavirus home to parents and grandparents.

"Do not become the reason why they become ill” pic.twitter.com/Ck5TDFOCeV

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) September 9, 2020

A total of 607 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last seven days in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.

Another 49 were diagnosed for the most recent 24-hour period, according to the latest daily figures.

There were no further deaths.

Arlene Foster also said she hopes to give an indicative date for the reopening of so-called “wet pubs” on Thursday.

She said: “What we are seeing is household transmission and I think that’s the same in other parts of the UK. 

If you look at what is happening in Glasgow when they introduced restrictions it was in and around households, so it’s not to do with the opening up of hospitality.

Having been out and about I have been very impressed in the way in which the hospitality sector have been able to mitigate against Covid-19, and restrict movement but yet offer a service.

I think it is unfair that one section of one part of our economy have not been able to open.

I hope that we can give an indicative date tomorrow to those wet pubs.

They deserve it and people have been abiding by the law for a very long time and I want to pay tribute to their resilience, but I think we do need to give them, in a graduated way, a date they can reopen.”

Arlene Foster said the Northern Ireland Executive may have to introduce local lockdowns to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 which is rising in certain parts of the province.

The First Minister said the Executive will meet on Thursday to discuss further measures.

We’re discussing these matters tomorrow and it may be that we have to take similar interventions in various places,” she said.

What we don’t want to see happening is going back to where we were in March and April time.

We want to take proportionate action and we will always have to under the law.

We will have a full discussion on Covid. You have seen limited lockdowns in other parts of the UK and the Republic, we haven’t had to do that thus far, we may have to do that again tomorrow.”

Robin Swann says the Executive will debate whether restrictions should apply across NI or at a more local level where there are more cases

The health minister warned that if a foreign country had the same rate of cases as we do - it would be on a quarantine list pic.twitter.com/Gh4ZnL3JHu

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) September 9, 2020