ANOTHER 61 people across Ireland have died with Covid-19, as the island endured the largest daily increase to date on both sides of the border.
Figures from the north's Public Health Agency showed that 18 more people had died in hospitals, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to 158.
Stormont health minister Robin Swann said it was a "distressing day" in the battle against coronavirus.
He launched a new framework for making the welfare of health and social care staff and volunteers a "key priority" in the weeks and months ahead.
The document reflects World Health Organisation guidance and has been drawn up with input from senior clinical psychologists alongside partners including trade unions.
"We need to make clear to everyone across the health and social care system that we have their backs. The framework recognises the changing needs of our HSC staff throughout the crisis," Mr Swann said.
Northern Ireland is on a “knife edge” in efforts to suppress the coronavirus peak, a top Stormont scientist has warned.
Professor Ian Young, the chief scientific adviser to the Department of Health, said a slight slippage in public adherence to social distancing measures could be the difference between the death rate falling or continuing to rise.
First Minister Arlene Foster said although a lockdown would continue for at least three more weeks, the executive was planning for "recovery" and would be "led by the science" when determining when that would be.
"We took the best advice from the central advisory group in London, we of course engage with our own chief medical officer, and we will want to take their advice again as to the impact of the step-by-step process," she said.
"And I think it will be a step-by-step process - it'll not just be a total reopening again because that would be wrong, because what we want to do is to ensure that we minimise and continue to mitigate the coronavirus.
"We have been advised by our chief medical officer that there is the very strong probability of a second surge and therefore we want to make sure we contain that in the way we have been able to contain what is with us at present."
In Dublin, the Republic's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan revealed 43 more deaths - the highest daily rise so far.
This brings the total number of confirmed deaths in the Republic to 486.
In an address to the Dáil yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar paid tribute to those who have lost their lives to Covid-19 in Ireland, saying they were "not statistics, but citizens, people with families, with friends, with lives, with stories".
Highlighting the recent deaths of two health service workers in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny, Mr Varadkar added: "It reminds us how healthcare workers and other essential workers put themselves at risk every day to care for their patients, to keep us safe and why we must stay at home.
"Since Covid-19 emerged globally only a short time ago, we have been presented with an unprecedented set of challenges.
"There has been no rulebook, no roadmap, no manual as to how this country or any country can deal with a crisis of this nature."
Across the UK, there were a further 861 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total to 13,729.
Among them are 27 NHS staff.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab insisted that no changes were likely to the planned three-week extension to the nationwide lockdown.
"Any change to our social distancing measures now would risk a significant increase in the spread of the virus," he said.
