Steve McGookinPhoto by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash
Welcome to Northern Slant’s weekly round-up of local virus-related items you might have missed. The next update will appear on 24 July. Previous updates are here, for the weeks ending:
- July 3, July 10
- June 26, June 19, June 12, June 5;
- May 29, May 15, May 8, May 1;
- April 24, April 17, April 10.
You might like to read the thoughts of some of our contributors – and perhaps add your own – on ‘Hopes for Northern Ireland.’
See Also:
- Will Mental Health Issues Be The Next Wave? by Kevin McAteer – July 7
- Lockdown lore, from Newry to Indonesia by Fionnbharr Rodgers – 16 June
- How churches can continue to function during lockdown by Jason Sime – 6 May
- The impact of Covid-19 on farming and food production by Ben McAteer – 5 May
- From ‘Flattening the Curve’ to ‘Bending the Curve’? Lessons from responses to Coronavirus for addressing our planetary emergency by John Barry – 21 April
And read a first-person account from the beginning of the pandemic by NS contributor Callum McNeill here:
- Escaping The Coronavirus – February 9
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No time for complacency, warns Swann
Despite another week of zero Covid-related deaths in Northern Ireland, Health Minister Robin Swann warned against complacency in the public’s attitude to the virus as restrictions ease, after a spike of cases in Limavady was reported as being related to a karaoke session at a house party.
A breakdown this week of locations of Covid-related deaths showed a concentration in specific areas of Belfast.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister also backed calls to make face masks mandatory in shops, in line with current practice in Scotland. England is set to adopt a similar mandatory approach from next Friday.
Uncertain outlook for local economy
The Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index showed a sharp decline in private sector output for the first quarter of 2020, with pessimism surrounding figures for the second quarter. The regional manufacturing outlook also indicated something of a gloomy road ahead. An Ulster Bank survey this week showed that while economic output continued to decline, the downturn was slower in June than in the previous two months.
Meanwhile, retailer Easons announced it would not be re-opening any of its seven stores in Northern Ireland.
Other virus news items this week:
Calls for hope & calls to action
Northern Slant aims to highlight some of the good news stories happening all around us. We’ll also show how communities are responding to the crisis, sharing details of how you might be able to get involved yourself.
Calls for Hope
Calls to Action
Information and Resources
Keep up with the latest updates from the Northern Ireland Department of Health here.
And from Belfast City Council here.
Have a good weekend.