Swann warns of fresh controls as cases rise
about that because then you might not have to make the choice between opening schools or pubs.
“You need to find where that virus is and really go after it with more testing, community testing, but we’re not really doing that and we’re more managing the outbreaks. That could be a risky strategy.”
Ulster Bank economist Richard Ramsey said that even before the lockdown was introduced businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, saw a downturn in custom and demand.
He said when businesses were told to close, those who didn’t have cash reserves found themselves “left exposed”.
However, Mr Ramsey said the scale of the support provided to businesses during lockdown was “huge”.
“If you thought beforehand that they would introduce things like a furlough scheme or eat out to help out, it wouldn’t have been thought possible,” the economist said.
While he accepted that some people may think not enough support has been provided, Mr Ramsey said that he believed further measures would be forthcoming.
“The chancellor isn’t done providing stimulus yet, we expect to see more in the autumn, it will be more targeted and different from what we’ve seen, it’s not the end of it,” he said.
Mr Ramsey said he believed businesses had come through the worst of the pandemic.
“We’ve seen huge falls in lockdown, it stopped dead, but you’ve then seen recovery, the corner had been turned in terms of activity,” he said.
He cautioned that the jobs market was one area that was set to get worse in the months to come.
If the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise, then the Executive will have some very difficult decisions to make.
Despite spending much of the past few years engaging in petty public squabbles, the parties came together when the outbreak began, just months after Stormont’s institutions were restored.
Now as cases look to be on the rise once again, our politicians will have to decide what steps are necessary to halt the spread of the virus.
Rolling back on any lockdown easements could be met with widespread public resistance.
One only has to look at the debate created by the mandatory wearing — and, in some cases defiance — of masks to see the public has become weary of widespread government intervention in their lives.
However, the Executive must do what it deems necessary to protect public health.
If we continue to see Covid clusters developing in certain areas then we are more likely to see localised lockdowns, but the question remains how effective would this be in a country the size of Northern Ireland.
Just a few short weeks ago cases were in the single figures, businesses and public facilities were reopening, people were returning to work and beginning to foresee a return to some normality.
Now it feels like we are beginning to go backwards rather than forward.
It is still unknown what effect reopening schools could have on the spread of the virus.
If cases continues to rise then it is likely an increased number of deaths will follow.
Should we see a return to daily reports of multiple Covid-19 deaths, the Executive will be forced to take action, no matter how unpopular it may be.
The virus remains unpredictable and until we have a widely available vaccine, any hopes of a return to pre-covid times seem distant.
HEALTH Minister Robin Swann has warned that Northern Ireland is fast approaching a point where decisions will be needed around a return to lockdown.
Thirty-nine new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the region yesterday.
In total, 290 cases have been recorded here in the space of a week — an average of more than 40 every day.
Yesterday Mr Swann said a new, younger profile of people testing positive for the virus was emerging.
He said experts were focused on “breaking the chain” of transmission, but warned a tipping point could be reached where decisive action was needed.
He told UTV: “When we get to that tipping point, and I would rather that we didn’t, that is when we do have to look at the lockdown measures as well.
“That is when we as an Executive have to look at stepping back some of the relaxations that we have made in the past number of months.
“That is where I think we are coming to — very, very quickly.” He said these could include the number of people in houses, the number of people who can gather at one place, and when and where people could travel.
Mr Swann added: “I would rather not go there, but when we start to see the increase in the figures of contamination and positive cases that we are actually seeing now, it is something that we are actively seeing.”
He suggested lockdowns may not be geographic, but could be by sector.
He said: “If we are having to look at certain industries, certain provisions, again about closing those down, it has a negative impact, it has a large impact on quality of life in Northern Ireland.”
Mr Swann warned that unless the virus was brought under control the region would head into another lockdown and more restrictions.
He said the next days and weeks were crucial.
Earlier, the chief scientific adviser warned that localised restrictions where cases have surged may soon be required.
Professor Ian Young said the rising numbers were of “considerable concern” and represented a tenfold increase on infection rates earlier in the summer.
He said two council areas — Antrim and Newtownabbey and Mid and East Antrim — were particularly affected by the surges.
Prof Young added: “I think we’re getting close to the point, certainly in those areas with the high numbers of cases, that we may have to consider whether any additional local measures are required.
“I don’t think we’re at the point where we’d be considering measures across the whole of Northern Ireland because there are still many parts of Northern Ireland where, as a result of public behaviours and other factors, the level of virus remains at a low level.”
He said a “one-size-fits-all approach” would not be appropriate when it came to any renewed restrictions.
In the Republic of Ireland, 56 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 27,313.