july – the public health agency says it has identified 16 clusters of covid-19 involving 133 cases since its contact-tracing system began operating. 23 july – the northern ireland executive gives the go-ahead for swimming pools, spas and community centres to reopen from the following day, and announces that face coverings must be worn in shops from 20 august. the executive also agrees to request urgent talks with the uk and irish governments over travel arrangements. the department of health confirms the release of northern ireland's contact-tracing app, stopcovid ni, for as early as 29 july. northern ireland is the first part of the uk to launch a contact-tracing app. 24 july – swimming pools, spas and community centres are allowed to reopen. 26 july – quarantine restrictions are reimposed on travellers arriving from spain following a spike of covid-19 cases in spain. 30 july – northern ireland's contact tracing app stopcovid ni is launched. 31 july – the shielding programme for northern ireland is paused. figures from the northern ireland statistics and research agency indicate covid-19 was mentioned on seven death certificates in the week ending 24 july, five more than the previous week. august 2020 2 august – figures released by the health and safety executive show that 336 complaints were made about companies regarding breaches of covid-19 regulations between 5 may to 17 july. 5 august – the number of covid-19 cases in northern ireland passes 6,000 after ten new cases bring the total to 6,006. 6 august – the latest round of rule changes are announced by the northern ireland executive, with the wearing of face coverings becoming compulsory in shops and other enclosed spaces from 10 august. pubs serving food are allowed to open from the same day, though pubs that do not serve food must remain closed. pupils will be able to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. 7 august – weekly statistics released by the northern ireland statistics and research agency indicate one covid-19 related death for the week ending 31 july. professor ian young, the chief scientific adviser for northern ireland, says that face coverings would be "of some benefit" to older school pupils. 8 august – queen's university belfast announces it will make face coverings compulsory for staff and students in some areas of its campus from monday 10 august. the annual apprentice boys of derry march takes place in derry, but on a reduced scale due to the covid-19 pandemic. 10 august – the wearing of face coverings becomes compulsory in shops and other enclosed places. ulster bank's monthly survey of economic activity in northern ireland indicates the economy is recovering following the pandemic, but that employment is falling, with the service sector the most impacted. 11 august – health minister robin swann expresses concern at the "increasing number" of covid-19 cases after a rise of 194 cases in the last seven days, 48 of them in the last 24 hours. 12 august – as another 29 covid-19 cases are recorded for northern ireland, health minister robin swann warns northern ireland is facing one of the most dangerous points of the pandemic, and expresses concern that some people have stopped following covid guidelines. figures published by the business services organisation (bso) show that more than 170 million pieces of personal protective equipment (ppe) were delivered to the health service in northern ireland during the first five months of the pandemic. 13 august – a level results are published. in northern ireland 37% of estimated grades were lowered, while 5.3% were raised. schools in northern ireland are issued with reopening guidelines, with the wearing of face coverings optional and advice that social distancing "may be relaxed in the presence of other mitigations" such as hygiene measures. 15 august – the department of health begins issuing weekend covid updates again, having stopped doing so earlier in the summer. the figures show a further 65 new cases in northern ireland. 17 august – education minister peter weir announces that a level and gcse results will be based on teachers' assessment following controversy over grades. northern ireland's chief scientific adviser, professor ian young, expresses concern at the rising number of covid cases in northern ireland and suggests local measures may be required to curtail the increase. 18 august – the northern ireland executive holds its first covid-19 press briefing for six weeks, where health minister robin swann warns that lockdown measures may be reimposed amid a rise in cases. 19 august – the heads of northern ireland's four main churches – the church of ireland, methodist church, catholic church and presbyterian church – ask their parishioners to wear face coverings during services, describing it as their responsibility "to ensure that our services of worship are safe places". 20 august – the northern ireland executive tightens restrictions on the number of people who can meet following an increase in covid-19 cases. the number of people who can meet outdoors is reduced from 30 to 15, while indoor gatherings are reduced from ten people to six people from two separate households. health minister robin swann says the police service of northern ireland will focus its enforcement of covid-19 rules on "hotspot areas" with high cases of the virus. a meat processing plant in county antrim closes for a deep clean after 35 people test positive for covid-19. gcse results are published, with grades now based on teachers' assessments; 37% of grades awarded are rated a* or a, compared with just under a third in 2019. 22 august – police stations in antrim and newtownabbey are closed for a deep clean after eight officers test positive for covid-19. 24 august – schools reopen for the autumn term, with students in years seven, twelve and fourteen the first to return. 25 august – education minister peter weir announces that school pupils will be required to wear face coverings in corridors and other communal areas from monday 31 august. 26 august – the northern ireland executive delays the reopening of theatres and pubs that do not serve food, postponing the 1 september date due to an increase in transmission of the virus. 28 august – the number of covid-19 cases in northern ireland passes 7,000 after the department of health reports 85 new daily cases, bringing the total to 7,049. 29 august – a further 89 covid cases are reported over the most recent 24 hour period. the usual parades held by the royal black institution to mark the last saturday of august are not held in 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic. 31 august – as face coverings become recommended for secondary schools in northern ireland, justin mccamphill from the nasuwt calls for them to be made mandatory. september 2020 1 september – almost all schools in northern ireland fully reopen to pupils for the first time since march. the driver and vehicle agency expands the number of mot tests, and driving tests, having resumed some activity in august. an outbreak of covid is detected at craigavon area hospital. 2 september – following a hearing at the high court, the aqe and pptc primary school transfer exams will be delayed from november 2020 to january 2021. a previous department of education decision to delay the exams by two weeks was challenged by lawyers representing two pupils due to sit the exams amid concerns they would be disadvantaged by the time lost in school to prepare for the tests. 3 september – finance minister conor murphy writes to the treasury to ask for the furlough scheme to be extended beyond the end of october. 4 september – two further covid deaths are recorded over the most recent 48 hours, both at craigavon area hospital. 7 september – the department of education describes as "regrettable" an erroneous email sent to schools in northern ireland by the department of health and social care that addressed them as care homes and informed them they were to receive ten covid home testing kits by 20:00 bst on 7 september. 8 september – shane devlin, chief executive of the southern health trust apologises following the death of a fourth covid patient at craigavon area hospital. the northern ireland executive says that it has not received a response from the treasury regarding its request to extend the furlough scheme, and warns northern ireland could not afford another lockdown. 9 september – figures released by the department of education show that covid-19 cases have been reported at 64 northern ireland schools in the first two weeks of the autumn term. the duke of cambridge meets emergency workers in belfast during a visit to northern ireland. 10 september – the northern ireland executive imposes new restrictions on visiting homes for ballymena, and parts of glenavy, lisburn and crumlin, following a rise in covid-19 cases in those areas. from the following week people living in those areas are limited to social gatherings of six, and are encouraged not to travel outside the areas. speaking during a government briefing, deputy first minister michelle o'neill acknowledges that her attendance at a funeral during the pandemic undermined the government's health message. 11 september – following criticism of changes to restrictions introduced by the northern ireland executive, dr michael mcbride, northern ireland's chief medical officer, urges the public to "use their good judgement" when considering the restrictions. the southern health trust suspends visits to patients in all of its hospitals following the covid-19 deaths at craigavon area hospital. queen's university belfast provides places for a further 80 medical students after funding for the places is agreed by the northern ireland executive. 15 september – unemployment figures show that almost one in ten young people in northern ireland are unemployed; those claiming unemployment-related benefits rising by 800 to 62,700 in august. 16 september – local covid-19 restrictions are made enforceable by law. northern ireland's universities say they will discipline any students who breach covid-19 public health guidelines. 17 september – the northern ireland executive gives drink only pubs the go ahead to reopen from wednesday 23 september, but restrictions on home visits are to be imposed from 18 september in parts of county armagh. official figures show that covid-19 deaths were the second most common deaths in northern ireland between 1 april and 30 june, with 4,684 deaths registered during that time, 732 of them covid related. 18 september – health minister robin swann describes three new songs by sir van morrison that protest against covid-19 restrictions as "dangerous". one of the songs "no more lockdowns" talks about scientists making up "crooked facts" to "enslave" people. a further five hospital deaths are recorded in northern ireland, two at craigavon area hospital and three at daisy hill hospital. 20 september – colm gildernew, chair of stormont's health committee, says there are "areas of grave concern" within northern ireland's covid-19 testing system. it is announced that david cook, who in 1978 became the first non-unionist lord mayor of belfast in more than a century, has died after being diagnosed with covid-19. 21 september – the northern ireland executive announces the extension of covid-19 restrictions to all of northern ireland from 18:00 bst on 22 september; from then households are prevented from mixing while groups of no more than six are allowed to meet. 22 september – in a televised address, the first and deputy first ministers, arlene foster and michelle o'neill call for a "big push" to curb the number of covid-19 cases in northern ireland, describing new measures as not a second lockdown, but a wake-up call. 23 september – health minister robin swann says that covid-19 is "gaining momentum" again in northern ireland and there is a "narrow window" to suppress it, while chief medical officer michael mcbride warns there could be as many as 500 cases a day by october if rules are ignored. the northern ireland ambulance service confirms that ten members of its staff have tested positive for covid-19. 24 september – first minister arlene foster says that the northern ireland executive has not yet reached a decision over pub curfews in northern ireland. the northern ireland executive agrees a funding package to support the arts in northern ireland. after pictures emerge of democratic unionist party mp sammy wilson on a london tube