without a face covering, wilson says he accepts he "should have been" wearing a face covering and will "accept whatever consequences there are". 25 september – a further 273 cases of covid-19 are confirmed in northern ireland, taking the total number of people diagnosed with the virus past 10,000 to 10,223. dr michael mcbride and dr ronan glynn, the respective chief medical officers for northern ireland and the irish republic, advise against all but essential travel across the northern ireland–donegal border. the department of education says it will issue new guidelines to schools regarding when pupils should self-isolate if one of their classmates is diagnosed with covid-19. the announcement comes a day after advice was updated to say all pupils in a support bubble should be sent home in such a situation. 26 september – northern ireland records its highest daily cases of covid-19 with a further 319 cases, bringing the total to 10,542. hospitality ulster says it is "seeking clarity" from the northern ireland executive over new covid-19 regulations for its sector. 27 september – professor charlotte mccardle, northern ireland's chief nursing officer, says that restrictions for birth partners will not be lifted any time in the near future. 28 september – sdlp leader colum eastwood says there is an urgent "need to act quickly" over the number of cases in the derry and strabane areas, which are three times higher than northern ireland as a whole. some students in halls of residence at queen's university belfast are told to self-isolate after a small number test positive for covid-19. 29 september – the northern ireland executive announces that bars, pubs and restaurants must close at 11pm; the rules come into force from midnight on 30 september. as a further 320 covid cases are confirmed, chief scientific adviser professor ian young predicts that northern ireland could see 1,000 cases a day by the end of october. after first minister arlene foster holds talks with us special envoy mick mulvaney, the northern ireland says that a northern ireland–united states relationship will be "hugely important" in helping to rebuild the economy post-covid. 30 september – health minister robin swann says that northern ireland is at a "crossroads" in dealing with the covid-19 pandemic, and more measures are required to curb it. october 2020 1 october – fresh restrictions are announced for derry and strabane, with pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels permitted only to offer takeaway and delivery services, as well as outdoor dining. derry's altnagelvin hospital also suspends some services to deal with covid patients. derry and strabane have the highest covid rates in northern ireland. hospitality businesses call for evidence to be produced showing the cause of the rise in covid cases in derry and strabane, and urge a cautious approach when introducing new restrictions. 2 october – a further 934 cases of covid-19 are recorded, the highest daily total so far for northern ireland. prime minister boris johnson announces extra financial support for the northern ireland executive to help deal with a second wave of covid-19. a sixth person dies from covid-19 at daisy hill hospital in newry following an outbreak of covid there. democratic unionist party mp jim shannon is required to self-isolate at home after coming into contact with scottish national party mp margaret ferrier, who breached covid-19 rules after experiencing symptoms and subsequently testing positive for the virus. 3 october – a further 726 covid-19 cases are confirmed in northern ireland, along with one death. 4 october – finance minister conor murphy tells the bbc's sunday politics programme that stormont may consider further covid-19 restrictions if the current measures do not prove to be effective. 5 october – first minister arlene foster and deputy first minister michelle o'neill speak to cabinet office minister michael gove about the prospect of extra financial support from westminster in the event of another lockdown. foster subsequently says that such an event is avoidable if people adhere to the rules, but that northern ireland would need extra financial help in the event of such an occurrence. 6 october – deputy first minister michelle o'neill says that further covid restrictions will be discussed at a forthcoming meeting of the northern ireland executive on 8 october. police and the northern health and social care trust launch a joint investigation into a care home amid concerns about breaches of covid regulations. 7 october – ulster rugby suspends training after a team member and an academy player test positive for covid-19. economy minister diane dodds that a "circuit breaker" lockdown will only work for northern ireland with treasury support. as a further 828 covid-19 cases are confirmed, health minister robin swann expresses concern that too many people are ignoring covid restrictions. 8 october – prime minister boris johnson and taoiseach micheál martin discuss northern ireland's rising number of covid-19 cases in a phone call, and agree to monitor the situation. deputy first minister michelle o'neill says that she and first minister arlene foster have asked for urgent talks with boris johnson due to cases rising "at an alarming rate". figures compiled by the bbc for the week ending 4 october indicate derry city and strabane has the highest covid-19 infection rate in the uk, with 582 cases per 100,000. 9 october – the northern ireland executive introduces new offences for breaching coronavirus regulations: failing to close a business as required; breaching early closing times; and failing to implement the required social distancing. there will also be a new minimum fine of £200 instead of £60. a further 1,080 covid-19 cases are recorded, the highest daily total to date. deputy first minister michelle o'neill self-isolates after a relative tests positive for covid-19. 10 october – a further 902 covid-19 cases are recorded. deputy first minister michelle o'neill tests negative for the virus, but says she will continue to self-isolate. 11 october – communities minister carál ní chuilín tests negative for covid-19, but says she will self-isolate after several members of her family test positive. 13 october – more than 100 elective surgeries have been cancelled in belfast because of covid-19. 14 october – fresh restrictions are announced for northern ireland, affecting schools and the hospitality sector. hospitality businesses will be limited to a takeaway only service for four weeks from friday 16 october, while schools will close for two weeks from monday 19 october. belfast's nightingale hospital is re-established amid growing covid-19 cases. 15 october – the northern ireland executive announces that firms forced to close because of tighter covid restrictions will receive additional financial support. 16 october – pubs and restaurants close as northern ireland begins a month of tighter restrictions. agriculture minister edwin poots says he has "grave concerns" about new restrictions, and that he and his democratic unionist party colleagues are in a "minority" opposed to them. there is confusion over whether fans can attend elite sporting events following different advice from first minister arlene foster and minister for communities carál ní chuilín. a letter from ní chuilín to sporting bodies says attendance is not permitted under new restrictions, but foster subsequently publishes a twitter post saying that sporting events are not covered by the rules. 17 october – minister for communities carál ní chuilín says that sporting events should take place behind closed doors, even though rules state that a limited number of spectators can attend. 18 october – an anti-lockdown protest involving more than 300 people is held outside stormont; several arrests are made. four prison officers at hydebank wood prison test positive for covid-19. education minister peter weir says that public debate is needed over northern ireland's lockdown restrictions, and defends comments made by edwin poots, saying "people have a right to express their opinions". 19 october – education minister peter weir confirms that almost 1,500 covid-19 cases have been confirmed in schools since their return in august. flu vaccinations for under-65s are paused until fresh stocks are received, following a "phenomenal" demand for flu injections. 20 october – the department of health publishes the evidence it has used to inform its decision making over its response to the covid-19 crisis, including an executive paper on the effects of measures taken on travel, education and personal contacts. health officials say there is "strong evidence" covid restrictions imposed on the derry city and strabane area is beginning to have the desired effect of reducing the number of cases in the area. 21 october – health minister robin swann is self-isolating after receiving a close proximity notice from northern ireland's track and trace app. after northern ireland's lockdown evidence is criticised as "flimsy" and "shocking", swann says that not to act on the evidence would have been a "total abdication of responsibility". 22 october – first minister arlene foster says that contact tracing in northern ireland needs to be "scaled up" in order to tackle the spread of covid-19. the northern ireland executive announces that free school meals will be provided to children during the october half-term break. the executive also agrees to provide financial support for tradespeople who are unable to access covid support funds, generally those who do not work from a premises, such as mobile hairdressers and driving instructors. 23 october – health officials launch an investigation into whether a brand of hand sanitiser used by health and social care is affected by a safety recall in the irish republic. deputy first minister michell o'neill says that northern ireland needs a covid-19 strategy that does not involve a "cycle of lockdowns". health minister robin swann says he is "deeply concerned" about the postponement of cancer procedures. 24 october – bbc news reports that a funding package for the taxi, private bus and coach sectors is to be brought forward "urgently". 25 october – a covid outbreak is reported among staff and patients on a ward at the ulster hospital in dundonald. belfast health and social care trust reports that the waiting list for spinal surgery for children with conditions like scoliosis has grown during the covid crisis, and will continue to grow through the second wave, with some children having waited a year or more for surgery. 26 october – people are asked not to attend antrim area hospital because it is "operating beyond capacity" with 27 ill patients waiting to be admitted. 28 october – northern ireland records its youngest covid-related death, that of a 19-year-old male. 29 october – finance minister conor murphy announces a funding package worth £560m for the health service to tackle covid-19. elisha mccallion, the former mp for foyle, resigns from her role as a sinn féin member of the seanad, as well as from her role in the upper bann constituency, after failing to return money given out by a stormont emergency covid fund to which she was not entitled. 30 october – health minister robin swann warns that any hope of a return to normality at the end of northern ireland's four weeks of tighter restrictions are "entirely misplaced". 31 october – catherine kelly, an mla for west tyrone resigns over the failure to repay covid emergency funding that was wrongly given out by soormont. november 2020 1 november – following the uk government's announcement that the furlough scheme will be extended until december to cover the period of england's month-long lockdown, finance minister conor murphy calls for it to be extended beyond then. 2 november – schools in northern ireland are told to hold physical education classes outside with no more than fifteen pupils. 3 november – following the previous day's advice to schools regarding pe lessons, education minister peter weir announces they will be able to hold pe indoors or outdoors without limits on numbers following a legal change in regulations. bbc news ni reports that health trusts across northern ireland are getting close to significantly reducing the number of routine operations. 4 november – declan kearney, sinn féin's junior minister in the executive, says interventions to tackle covid-19 "have not achieved enough" to ensure further restrictions are not needed. craigavon area hospital cancels elective surgery. 5 november – first minister arlene foster announces that northern ireland's restrictions have helped to gain "important ground" with the r number dropping to around 0.7. the irish football association announces that 1,060 spectators will be permitted to attend northern ireland's euro