Northern Ireland's spiralling Covid cases are due to the "failure of society as a whole", First Minister Arlene Foster says.
Arlene Foster also singled out Sinn Féin for criticism, claiming the attendance of senior figures at IRA veteran Bobby Storey's funeral in June, at a time when strict limits on numbers were in place, had damaged the public health messaging.
Her remarks came after Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill accused the DUP of ignoring public health advice around lockdown decisions last month.
Ms Foster said: "We do find ourselves in a particularly bad place, I very much regret that that is the case and it's a failure of society as a whole that we have had to introduce these restrictions in the draconian way that they are coming in on Boxing night.
"Last night we did take a very draconian decision, one which I never thought we would have to take. I very much regret the fact that we have had to take it, but we needed to take it and we're facing a great deal of difficulty across Northern Ireland."
She said people needed to take personal responsibility for their actions in the time ahead.
"We are facing very, very difficult times across Northern Ireland," the DUP leader said.
"Of course before the end of June last year compliance in Northern Ireland was very good and in fact we were the envy of other colleagues in the United Kingdom. But at the end of June, one party, Sinn Féin, decided whilst they made the laws they were also above the laws. And now we find ourselves in a situation where messaging is very difficult. We've seen a breakdown in compliance and I very, very much regret that to be the case."
Meanwhile, Ms O'Neill insisted the executive was taking a collective approach to decision making.
"Obviously we are in a very severe situation right now, and the executive has had to intervene," she said.
"There's a collective approach to this and the executive as a whole agrees that we needed to intervene."
Asked whether her claim that she has never deviated from the public health advice was credible given her attendance at the Storey funeral, she replied: "In terms of following the public health advice, I said I've never deviated from the advice of the chief medical officer when he brought forward, or the health team brought forward, proposals for how we respond to Covid."
