Economy Minister today hailed the reopening of retail, outdoor hospitality and some tourism accommodation as “another significant milestone as we move out of lockdown”.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots MLA, has signalled the introduction of a financial support package for the potato growers impacted by a reduction in demand from the hospitality and food service sector for processing potatoes in the past 7 months due to Covid-19 lockdown measures.

The Executive has confirmed the position in relation to the regulations in advance of the re-opening of outdoor hospitality tomorrow.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has welcomed funding of almost £1million to ensure the continued delivery of her Department’s contribution to the Fresh Start initiative.

The Department of Health (DoH) today published statistics on the time spent in emergency care departments (ED) throughout Northern Ireland during the months of January, February and March 2021.