Plans to ease Covid restrictions in the north from next week have been criticised by a public health expert, as data shows case numbers and hospitalisations are continuing to climb.
The executive plans to end the need for people to self-isolate for 10 days after coming into contact with a positive case from next Monday.
Ministers have agreed that those who have been double vaccinated and can show a negative test will no longer be required to isolate, while the cap on the number of people allowed to gather outdoors and in private gardens is also to be scrapped.
However, Professor Gabriel Scally of advisory body Independent SAGE has dubbed plans to ease rules in the face of rising case numbers as “bizarre”.
The number of people hospitalised has risen from 245 on Monday to 341 on Thursday, while new cases have jumped from 1,031 to 1,610 yesterday.
“I find it amazing that this is happening given that cases, hospitalisations and deaths are way ahead of this time last year,” the epidemiologist told The Irish News.
