AQO 1603/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 11/02/2021
Answered On Date: 23/03/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline their planned engagement and communications activity surrounding the eventual easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Answer:

Thanks to the public’s adherence to the measures currently in place, we have made good progress in reducing transmission of the virus and suppressing the Covid-19 epidemic. We are very aware of the damaging impacts that this virus is having on people’s lives, and the need to give people some hope.The Executive has published a pathway for exiting the current restrictions in a very cautious and gradual way. This will be guided by the prevailing public health situation and the medical and scientific advice as well as an assessment of the wider impacts for people, for society and for the economy.

We appreciate that people are seeking certainty on what that will look like, but we want to be upfront and make everyone aware that our approach will not be driven by dates, but by evidence. So, while there are no certainties, we have given people an indication of how we hope to move forward and the sequencing of how restrictions could be lifted when the time is right to do so.

The ongoing programme of engagement across departments with key sectors will be crucial in supporting this work, including with the retail and hospitality sectors, faith leaders, the PSNI, local government and sporting organisations. In addition, the Executive’s public information campaign will continue to run across multiple platforms.