STORMONT ministers have announced the lifting of more lockdown measures which will see shopping centres allowed to reopen from today.
Smaller traders had already been planning to roll up their shutters and larger stores including Ikea are already accepting customers with social distancing measures in place.
From today, all retailers including those in shopping centres will be able to reopen.
The executive also agreed:
:: The housing market will fully reopen. People will be able to view properties again and move home
:: Elite athletes can start training again from June 15
:: Child care centres in places including church halls can begin operating again from Friday
:: Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed
It was also confirmed that people living alone will be able to spend the night with one other household from June 13, in an effort to combat loneliness caused by the restrictions.
The executive's decision followed mounting pressure from people anxious to see their loved ones, and a decline in the number of daily deaths from Covid-19 and the rate of spread of the disease.
First Minister Arlene Foster said: "We want to minimise the impact of loneliness and isolation on people by enabling people to meet in a controlled and straightforward way.
"People who live alone can form a small support unit or support bubble with one other house.
"They can go into that household and stay for as long as they want. They can stay overnight if they want to. There can be physical contact."
Ministers decided not to change the two-metre requirement as science shows it provides a greater level of protection against transmission of the virus than one metre.
The issue will be looked at again next week when the executive looks at schools and tourism.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was a rolling process of lifting restrictions.
"What we have set out is an incremental way forward," she said.
"This is going to be a rolling programme of easements. We will be able to do more on Monday, more on Thursday in terms of the regulations.
"This is a stage post to Monday then Thursday then it will be an ongoing programme after that."
The Department of Health said it estimated that the current Covid-19 reproduction number (R) was 0.5- 0.9 enabling the executive decision to ease some further restrictions.
There was one further coronavirus-related death recorded in Northern Ireland. The total number of deaths recorded by the department at 538.
In the Republic, a further eight people have died bringing the death toll to 1,703.
