TWO more deaths and just 20 more cases of coronavirus were reported in Northern Ireland over the weekend.
The number of deaths recorded by the Department of Health since the start of the pandemic now stands at 523, although the figure based on information on death certificates is higher.
The total number of confirmed cases in north stands at 4,716.
In the Republic, the Department of Heath said there had been 11 deaths over the weekend, bringing the total to 1,652,
A further 66 confirmed cases brought the total to 24,990.
First minister Arlene Foster said yesterday that Stormont ministers were "very, very conscious" of the crisis facing care homes, whose residents account for more than half of all fatalities.
Providers have previously voiced concerns about the provision of personal protective equipment and staffing levels.
Health minister Robin Swann has announced £6.5 million to help care homes with cleaning, staff and to expand testing.
"If we have a low number of deaths in the first place, then understandably you are going to have a concentration where there are old and vulnerable people," Mrs Foster told the BBC.
"...We will look back and there will be plenty of time to look back at how we dealt with this virus."
Meanwhile, infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon spoke of the need for clear communication from the Executive to the public as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, acknowledging that delivering messages on changes to the public will be "difficult".
"As an Executive, we are being guided by the scientific advice. As we move through this unprecedented process, messages will have to change and as we are moving into easing restrictions safely, then the message will have to be tailored accordingly," she told the BBC.
"We also have a responsibility to be clear and consistent in our communication to the public, and we have to be honest, that is going to be difficult and complex, but it's something we have to do and we will see this week further clarity coming forward from the Executive on a number of these issues."
In London, communities secretary Robert Jenrick said yesterday that 113 new Covid-19 deaths had been recorded across the UK, taking the total to 38,489.
As new guidelines allowed 2.2 million people classed as "vulnerable" to have more social interaction, he also said the government was looking to reopen places of worship "as soon as we can", adding: "I understand how important it is for millions of people in this country, and I can understand how people of faith would consider it strange that shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants, many other settings, might be open in the weeks and months ahead, but not somewhere as important as a place of worship."
