Northern Ireland will introduce a four-week circuit-breaker lockdown from FRIDAY with pubs and restaurants closed while schools will shut for two weeks from MONDAY

Northern Ireland will close its pubs for a month from Friday and shut schools for a fortnight from next week under a circuit-breaker lockdown, First Minister Arlene Foster announced today.

The province will ramp up its coronavirus measures after it suffered a sharp up-spike in cases.  They were announced as Northern Ireland recorded 1,217 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, a new daily record for the region.

There were four further coronavirus linked deaths announced on Wednesday, taking the toll recorded by Stormont Department of Health past 600 to 602. 

Ms Foster told the Stormont Assembly this morning the rising figures were of 'grave concern'.

'We fully appreciate that this will be difficult and worrying news for a lot of people,' she told MLAs.

'The Executive has taken this decision because it is necessary, and we discussed the impacts in great detail. We do not take this step lightly.' 

She pledged to look at business support 'as a priority' .

The measures will see pubs and restaurants shut ahead of this weekend, with the exception of takeaways and deliveries. Off-licences will have to close at 8pm, with the same cut off for supermarkets to sell alcohol.

Shops will remain open, as will gyms for individual training. Churches will also stay open, but with a 25-person guest limit on funerals and weddings. Receptions are banned.

The fortnight school closure includes a week of half-term holiday, so children would only miss a single week of lessons. 

While the moves do not amount to a full scale lockdown similar to that imposed during the first wave of the virus, they mark a significant ramping up in Northern Ireland's response to spiraling infection rates.

It came as Ireland this morning suggested that it will consider altering its own coronavirus measures in the counties that border Ulster. 

Ms Foster said she hoped further support measures for those affected by the latest restrictions would be signed off by another meeting of ministers on Thursday.

'There will be better days if people take personal responsibility for their actions.

'I plead with people today, please take personal responsibility for your actions. Please work with us.'  

It came as: 

First Minister Arlene Foster announced Norther Ireland's circuit-breaker lockdown today after executive ministers agreed to closures of schools, pubs and restaurants.

Some 863 cases were reported in Northern Ireland yesterday - bringing the total to 21,898 - along with seven new deaths

Ireland's Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said: 'We will hear what happens in Northern Ireland this morning and then we will see if we need to respond to that, particularly in relation to the bounder counties'

Northern Ireland's circuit-breaker rules: 

Ireland's Tanaiste Leo Varadkar outlined his country's plans this morning. 

'We will hear what happens in Northern Ireland this morning and then we will see if we need to respond to that, particularly in relation to the bounder counties,' he said.

'The main reason as to why restrictions might be tightened in border counties is not just what is happening in the north, it's the incidence rate as well which is the highest in the country.

'We will need to respond to what happens as best we can, we tried to co-ordinate with Northern Ireland but the Northern Ireland Executive hasn't agreed to an all-island approach.'

In Northern Ireland's worst-hit area, just under 1 per cent of the population tested positive in the last seven days alone - giving it an infection rate of 970 per 100,000.

It is the highest rolling seven-day rate of new Covid-19 cases UK-wide with Nottingham coming in second at 880.4 cases per 100,000.

The restrictions were agreed after a stop-start meeting of the Stormont executive that extended past midnight and into Wednesday morning. 

Sporting activities will be limited to elite athletes for the four weeks.

The current restrictions on household mixing are expected to remain as they are. 

That means no mixing of households in private dwellings - with some exceptions including those joined in social bubbles - and gatherings in the gardens of private dwellings limited to six people from no more than two households.

After the late night executive meeting concluded, deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill tweeted: 'The Exec has given painstaking consideration to next steps.

'We know this is hard and that people will be worried about their livelihoods, but we will do everything we possibly can to make sure there are protections in place for businesses, workers and families.' 

While the moves do not amount to a full scale lockdown similar to that imposed during the first wave of the virus, they mark a significant ramping up in Northern Ireland's response to spiraling infection rates. Pictured: Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald reiterated her party's call for an all-island approach to deal with Covid-19.

She added that the island will 'pay the price' for not having a more co-ordinated approach.

'We need to recognise, particularly in border areas, that the communities are intermingled and intertwined. They are one community,' she told RTE Morning Ireland.

'The problem of the virus transmission is not unique to the north.

'I understand that in Cork the numbers are climbing and that we are probably about a week or 10 days behind the north in terms of the aggression of the transmission, so we have an issue across the island.'

Some 6,286 new positive cases of the virus have been detected in the last seven days, bringing the total number of cases in Northern Ireland to 21,898.

As of Tuesday, there were 150 patients in hospitals with Covid-19, including 23 in intensive care.

The Derry and Strabane Council area has been experiencing the highest infection rate in the UK and Ireland, with a seven day average of 970 cases per 100,000 people.

The area is already subject to additional localised restrictions. 

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Louise Haigh said: 'The Executive have taken decisive action to halt the frightening rise in cases in Northern Ireland.

'The Prime Minister now needs to honour the promise he made to communities across Northern Ireland, and urgently deliver the financial support he pledged. Businesses and workers must not lose out because of the sacrifices we all need to make to get this virus back under control, and protect our NHS.'