As the lockdown continues to be lifted, with Covid infections continuing to fall, it has been announced this afternoon that from tomorrow, June 23, up to six people will be allowed to meet indoors.
In a further relaxation of the regulations, the small indoor gatherings will be allowed as long as they are short, socially distanced, and well ventilated. Good hand hygine will be essential, and people are urged to wear face coverings if they can.
The Executive have said “this easement makes provision for informal childcare arrangements between families and friends to resume.”
Speaking this afternoon, First Minister Arlene Foster said: “The restrictions we have all been living with for the past three months have been an enormous burden borne by every member of our society. The limitations on our ability to meet loved ones has been particularly hard to bear.
“The Executive did not take decisions to limit contact lightly, and we have been giving detailed consideration over the last number of weeks as to how and when we could safely facilitate greater contact between families and friends.
“Given the latest scientific evidence and medical advice on transmission rates of the virus, we are now in a position to relax the Regulations to enable meetings indoors. This will be on the basis of no more than six individuals meeting together at any one time and all public health advice being followed.
“We know how tempting it will be to embrace one another when people come back together in a home environment, but we must urge you to continue to stay apart, even while indoors.”
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “We know how difficult it has been for people to be separated loved ones as we have all worked together to save lives during this pandemic.
“We have held firm to our commitment not to keep any restriction in place longer than necessary and have gradually been taking steps to facilitate contact between family, friends and support networks as safely as possible.
“Today, the scientific evidence indicates that we can make more progress on this vital issue. The Executive has agreed that, from tomorrow, people can come back together indoors while following the important public health advice to keep everyone as safe as possible.
“This arrangement provides a balance between enabling much needed social contact, enhancing support networks and allowing informal childcare arrangements to resume. This is a crucial development in alleviating some of the childcare pressures being felt by parents at present.”
Health Minister Robin Swann said: “Restrictions on contact between loved ones have been necessary to save lives throughout this pandemic. However, we know how detrimental it is to the wider health and wellbeing of the population when that contact is removed and people don’t have access to their normal support networks.
“We have already been able to facilitate outdoor meetings of up to ten people from different households and I’m pleased that we are now in a position where we can move to allow indoor visits.
“I must signal a word of caution that indoor meetings are still higher risk than an outdoor environment so I would encourage people to continue to arrange those meetings outdoors where possible. Anyone who decides avail of this relaxation should do so as safely as possible and adhere to all the advice that accompanies it.”
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