NI will need Christmas restrictions ‘if virus spread rises significantly’

A Christmas market outside Belfast City Hall in 2018 Picture: PA

Additional restrictions will be required around Christmas in Northern Ireland if the spread of coronavirus rises significantly, health officials have warned.

Relaxing curbs on hospitality and close-contact services like hairdressers and beauty salons from next Friday is highly likely to lead to a rise in the reproductive rate of the virus, the chief medical and scientific officers have told Stormont ministers.