restrictions are lifted; northern ireland is the last part of the uk to reopen its night time venues. november 2021 1 november – northern ireland's department of health launches the cert check ni app to facilitate the "voluntary use" of vaccine checks in the entertainment and hospitality sector. 2 november – after several medical professionals argue in favour of a scheme in which patients would be able to ask if a member of medical staff had been vaccinated, health minister robin swann says he would "not be comfortable" with the idea. the time that people have to spend their spend local vouchers is extended from 30 november to 14 december. 4 november – dr seamus o'reilly, medical director of the northern health trust, warns that an emergency department may have to close over the winter, but health minister robin swann says winter closures are not inevitable. 7 november – health minister robin swann initiates legal proceedings against sir van morrison over the latter's description of him as "very dangerous" for his handling of the covid pandemic. 9 november – health minister robin swann announces plans for a public consultation over whether to introduce mandatory covid vaccines for healthcare workers in northern ireland. a yougov survey of 1,000 adults in northern ireland found that only 3% wanted to return fulltime to the office following the pandemic. 14 november – craigavon area hospital begins diverting ambulances away from its emergency department except for life-threatening cases as the hospital reaches full capacity. 15 november – as the northern ireland executive prepares to discuss the prospect of introducing covid passports, health minister robin swann says "now is the time" for a phased introduction of a covid passport scheme. 16 november – the public health agency has linked more than 170 covid cases to an entertainment venue in toome, county antrim, where a teenage disco was staged. the agency received complaints about the disco which was described as being dangerously overcrowded. a man in his forties is arrested and charged over threats to kill health minister robin swann. 17 november – northern ireland's ministers vote to introduce mandatory covid passports for northern ireland from december, which will need to be produced for entry into pubs, restaurants and nightclubs. 18 november – health minister robin swann announces plans to accelerate the vaccine booster programme, as well as the uptake of first vaccines, with measures such as increasing the number of pharmacy walk-in clinics and more health trust vaccination hubs. bbc news reported that a document produced by health minister robin swann and circulated to ministers recommends that remote workers during the first lockdown should be remote working again, and that advice issued on 23 september to begin a gradual return to the office should be reversed. the democratic unionist party describes northern ireland's covid passport plan as a "distraction dish" served by ministers that will not relieve the pressures on hospitals. 20 november – a protest is held at stormont to highlight the ongoing difficulties being experienced by care home residents subject to covid restrictions in a bid to urge health minister robin swann to ensure regulations are implemented evenly throughout the sector. 21 november – justice minister naomi long describes plans drawn up in a government document to give her department responsibility for raising the compliance level of wearing face coverings to at least 80% as "highly inappropriate". 22 november – health minister robin swann suggests there is a possibility hospitality venues could be asked to close over christmas if covid cases continue to rise. 23 november – the northern ireland executive announced it is "strengthening" its advice to people in northern ireland to remote work whenever possible as a way of mitigating rising covid infections. people were also advised to limit their social contact and to wear face coverings if meeting up indoors. 24 november – eddie lynch, northern ireland's commissioner for older people, called for a northern ireland-based inquiry into the handling of care home residents during the pandemic. people in northern ireland are urged by hospital staff to behave responsibly and "save christmas" as emergency departments come under heavy pressure. 26 november – unlicensed premises such as coffee shops and cafes will not have to enforce vaccine passports when the scheme launches on monday 29 november, it is confirmed. 29 november – first minister paul givan describes northern ireland's covid passport scheme as "divisive", rushed, and says it should not go ahead. data from the office for national statistics suggests northern ireland's economy grew by 1.08% in the third quarter of 2021, and that it is the part of the uk to have had the strongest bounce back after lockdown. 30 november – a series of booster vaccination clinics have opened across northern ireland following recommendations that all adults over the age of 18 should receive a booster vaccine. justin mccamphill of the nasuwt teaching union urges the early closure of schools for the christmas holidays as a "circuit breaker"; the union also says some pupils have switched to remote learning because there are not enough teaching staff to cover classes. december 2021 3 december – as the irish republic reintroduces some covid restrictions over christmas, including the closure of nightclubs and limiting the number of people who can meet up indoors, northern ireland's deputy first minister, michelle o'neill says there are no plans to increase the level of restrictions for northern ireland over the festive period. 4 december – the annual lundy parade is held in derry, the first full event since 2019. 6 december – the department of education says there are no plans to close schools early for the christmas holiday or switch to remote learning. a stormont committee hears from a hospitality ulster representative that workers within the sector have been subject to abuse by people objecting to being asked for a covid pass. 7 december – the first case of the omicron variant is identified in northern ireland, and is believed to be linked to travel from the uk mainland. stormont follows westminster by tightening rules to require travellers arriving from abroad to take a pre-departure covid test, with the rules coming into force from 4am. 8 december – first minister paul givan says stormont should not go into "panic mode" over the omicron covid variant. 9 december – the deadline to spend the £100 high street vouchers is extended until midnight on sunday 19 december. chief medical officer sir michael mcbride says some restrictions may need to be reintroduced in january. 13 december – covid passes become enforceable for hospitality businesses in northern ireland, with a £10,000 fine for any venue that does not comply. 14 december – northern ireland follows england in removing all 11 southern african countries from the travel red list. 15 december – the number of omicron variant cases reaches 151; chief medical officer sir michael mcbride says he is more concerned now than at any other time of the pandemic. 16 december – there are not 210 omicron cases in northern ireland, but ministers have warned of the potential for 11,000 cases per day. in a letter to hm treasury, finance minister conor murphy calls for the furlough scheme to be reinstated and for more financial support for stormont as northern ireland is affected by covid. belfast's titanic exhibition centre is to open as a vaccination centre, it is confirmed. 17 december – new guidelines require close contacts of anyone testing positive for covid to self-isolate again, even if fully vaccinated, and get a pcr test. 19 december – the booster programme is opened to all adults over the age of 18. northern ireland is to receive an extra £75m from the treasury to help deal with covid. 20 december – a total of 2,349 omicron cases have been identified in northern ireland, with 1,068 in the most recent day's data. queen's university belfast announces plans to return to remote learning in january 2022. 21 december – health minister robin swann says that as many as two thirds of those aged under 50 who are in hospital with covid are unvaccinated. 22 december – bbc news reports that planning for staff absenteeism is ne of the biggest concerns facing the health service in northern ireland this winter. 23 december – the stormont executive agrees a £40m package to support hospitality sector businesses affected by the latest round of covid restrictions. health minister robin swann announces the rollout of the covid treatments molnupiravir and neutralising monoclonal antibodies (nmabs), which are used to treat high risk patents m declaring it a “significant milestone in our battle against covid-19”. the department of health puts out a call for retired teachers to return to the classroom in order to allow the continuation of face-to-face teaching. 24 december – a further 3,286 covid cases are recorded for northern ireland, the largest daily increase so far. 26 december – nightclubs close again barely two months after reopening, ahead of further restrictions to be introduced the following day. 27 december – a limit of six on the number of people who can meet up indoors, the return of table service for the hospitality sector and two metre social distancing are reintroduced in northern ireland. 29 december – changes to testing rules are brought in due to a high demand for pcr tests. fully vaccinated people who are exposed to covid are now advised to take a daily lateral flow test for ten days and only book a pcr test if they test positive, whole unvaccinated people must self-isolate for ten days. 30 december – first minister paul givan confirms the time required to self-isolate following a positive covid test will be reduced from ten to seven days from new year's eve, describing the decision to do so as one taken to avoid a "workforce crisis". 31 december – the belfast health trust places further restrictions on visiting due to covid, with immediate effect. patients are limited to one visitor for the entire duration of their hospital or care home stay, while the visitor must undergo a risk assessment. visitors are also prohibited if they are experiencing covid-like symptoms.