Northern Ireland shuts retail and hospitality for two weeks to curb virus spread

Ministers in Northern Ireland have agreed to shut non-essential retail, pubs and restaurants for two weeks from November 27 (Liam McBurney/PA)

Northern Ireland will shut non-essential retail, pubs and restaurants for two weeks from November 27 to save the health service from becoming swamped.

The country was poised to emerge from a limited circuit-breaker lockdown until the number of infections rose to worrying levels.