NI households to share in £95m voucher scheme to help boost our high streets as Stormont unveils multi-million business support package

Relying on rapid mass testing alone in the period before Christmas would be a highly risky strategy, Northern Ireland's health minister said.

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Subscribe              Nov 23, 2020           Dear reader,   Businesses in Northern Ireland have suffered hugely during the pandemic, but there was some rare good news on Monday in the form of a £300m Covid support package announced by Stormont.   Finance Minister Conor Murphy made the announcement, with part of the package a £95 million High Street Voucher Scheme which will give people a pre-paid card for use in local shops. There will also be £55 million to extend the Localised Restrictions Support Scheme to include non-essential retail.    On a day of positive developments around the virus, it was announced that trials indicate that a coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford offers 70 per cent immunity from Covid-19.    This is considerably below the protection offered by vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95% protection. However, the Oxford vaccine is much cheaper, easier to store and will be easier to distribute around the world.    In a continuation of a recent trend, the number of new Covid-19 infections in Northern Ireland fell again on Monday, with 280 new cases confirmed over the previous 24 hours.    Another three people have died with the virus, while  there are 37 people in ICU units here with Covid-19.  Alistair Bushe, Editor Want total access to all of our online content? You can subscribe to our website, newsletter.co.uk for just £1 a month for 3 months - and it couldn't be easier. Signing up will get you faster-loading articles, fewer adverts and access to exclusive content and events when we run them. To learn more, visit our Subscriptions page here.           Mass testing alone not a solution in period before Christmas says Health Minister Robin Swann           Relying on rapid mass testing alone in the period before Christmas would be a highly risky strategy, Northern Ireland's health minister said.                 This year's pandemic has shown how reliant we are on rural communities - Minister Edwin Poots   In the last of our Changed Lives series, DAERA Minister Edwin Poots acknowledges the challenges faced by farmers and those in rural areas during the pandemic and pays tribute to their resilience           All frontline officers get spitguards despite human rights objections   All frontline officers are to be issued with spit and bite guards, after the PSNI piloted a scheme which saw them used 70 times since mid-March.           NI artist Dawn Crothers draws global audience to online art tutorials   A Belfast artist trying to relieve the boredom of lockdown recently attracted 1,500 people to an online painting tutorial.           LIVE BLOG - New direct flights to Qatar, New York and Boston could be part of NI's Covid-19 economic recovery reveals Diane Dodds   Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, has revealed a proposal put forward by Belfast International Airport to launch new flights to the Qatari capital, Doha, New York and Boston could help to shape Northern Ireland's economic recovery from the impact of Covid-19.           Ben Lowry: Pain must be shared if we have long lockdowns, including among public sector and starting with political pay cuts   Since early on in the Covid crisis, like lots of people I have wondered whether lockdowns are the best way to go.           100,000 NI dental patients could lose all access to care as a result of Covid pressures, warns BDA   Around 100,000 of the most vulnerable dental patients across Northern Ireland could be left without access to care if Covid-19 pressures on practices are not addressed, according to the British Dental Association (BDA).           Opinion: It is a disgrace that Michelle O'Neill is presiding over coming lockdown given that Storey funeral breach is still unresolved   Much about the coming lockdown is uncertain or of dubious merit. But one thing is clear.           'Growing dissent and anger' among churchgoers over Covid lockdowns: Rev Norman Hamilton   Former Presbyterian moderator Rev Norman Hamilton said he senses "growing dissent" in the church community over the 'circuit breaker' lockdowns.                 View more on Coronavirus

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