some measures may need to stay in place for a while. 11 february – minister of finance conor murphy says the executive will take a "collective approach" to the upcoming review of northern ireland's lockdown, which will occur on thursday 18 february. 12 february – the 80,000 people who received gps letters advising them to shield are told they can now book appointments for covid vaccinations. 14 february – dr tom black, chairman of the british medical association in northern ireland, says it would be a "big ask" to reopen secondary schools on 8 march, but that he believes primary schools could reopen then. 15 february – the number of recorded deaths linked to covid-19 reaches 2,000. bbc news reports that at a meeting with school principals, the public health agency has said that schools are not a major source of transmission of covid-19. 17 february – the rollout of the vaccination programme is extended to carers and those with underlying health conditions. 18 february – lockdown is extended in northern ireland until 1 april amid concerns that there could be a rise in cases prompted by st patrick's day celebrations, but schools will begin to reopen from 8 march, with primary years one to three reopening. 19 february – health minister robin swann downplays the possibility of easing lockdown restrictions in time for easter, saying that plans to reopen society, due to be published on 1 march, will be led by data rather than dates. 21 february – after prime minister boris johnson announces new vaccination targets to offer every adult in the uk their first vaccine by the end of july, officials in northern ireland have said the covid vaccination programme in northern ireland is "ahead of schedule". 22 february – first minister arlene foster wants the northern ireland executive to "revisit" the timetable for reopening schools after prime minister boris johnson announced all schools in england will reopen on 8 march. currently only primary schools are scheduled to reopen on that date. health minister robin swann announces that belfast's sse arena is to become a mass vaccination centre. 23 february – education minister peter weir says there is a "strong case" for reopening all schools in northern ireland on 8 march. the department of health confirms that three cases of south african variant covid-19 have been detected in northern ireland. 24 february – the department of health confirms that more than half a million covid vaccinations have been given in northern ireland, 478,235 of them first doses. as the northern ireland executive prepares to publish its exit strategy from lockdown in the next few days, health minister robin swann says it is better to be "too cautious than reckless" over easing the restrictions, and urges people not to jump to conclusions on the matter. 25 february – first minister arlene foster says she has complete confidence in dr michael mcbride, northern ireland's chief medical officer, after the democratic unionist party said health officials had acted too cautiously over their advice on opening schools. dup mp sammy wilson is criticised for describing health minister robin swann as a "poodle for the unaccountable chief medical officer" on social media. education minister peter weir confirms gcse, as level and a level results will be published earlier in august, mirroring a decision made in england, with as and a level results published on 10 august and gcse results two days later. 26 february – health minister robin swann tells the bbc that delayed decisions and party politics during the covid-19 pandemic have inevitably cost lives, while the public health message has been damaged by politicians failing to stand together. 27 february – on the date that marks a year since the first positive covid case in northern ireland, figures show that 35% of people have been vaccinated against the virus. 28 february – police break up a crowd of 250 gathered to watch an "organised fight" in a yard in county tyrone, an event in breach of covid rules. march 2021 1 march – a change in rules regarding hospitals and other care settings allows care home residents to receive at least one face-to-face visit per week from one person. daily one-hour visits to hospices are also permitted, while women attending maternity appointments can take someone with them. ministers meet to discuss easing lockdown restrictions, but delay the publication in order to finalise their plans. people aged 60–64 are invited to book online for a covid vaccination. 2 march – northern ireland unveils what deputy first minister michelle o'neill describes as a "hopeful and cautious" exit strategy from lockdown, but unlike england and scotland there is timetable for lifting the measures. instead ministers will meet each week to assess the information available to them and decide which restrictions can be lifted. first minister arlene foster acknowledges the frustration felt by people but says the northern ireland executive has learnt a lot about the virus over the past year. 3 march – chancellor rishi sunak unveils the 2021 budget, with an extra £410m for northern ireland. however, finance minister conor murphy claims as most of the funding is covid-related, in real terms the additional funding for northern ireland only amounts to £4m. health minister robin swann acknowledges people's frustration at the lack of dates in the executive's lockdown exit strategy, but says there are too many uncertainties to give specific dates. 4 march – health minister robin swann rules out the idea of vaccine passports for people visiting pubs or restaurants, saying the idea is "not something that sits comfortably" with him. 5 march – figures published by the northern ireland statistics and research agency (nisra) indicate covid deaths have fallen for a fifth consecutive week, with the virus mentioned on 55 death certificates in the week up to 26 february. 7 march – speaking to rte radio's this week programme, first minister arlene foster says she is "alarmed" at the slower rate of covid vaccination rollout in the republic of ireland, and says there should be greater co-operation between the northern ireland executive and irish government on the issue of vaccine deployment. 8 march – pupils in years p1 to p3 return to school. the plan is for them to return to remote learning on 22 march, but education minister peter weir announces plans to change this to allow for them to stay in the classroom, saying the present plans do not make "enormous sense". dr margaret o'brien, the head of general medical services at the health and social care board writes to gps informing them northern ireland will shortly receive a "significant" delivery of covid vaccine that will need to be used before the end of march. 10 march – rapid covid tests are to be rolled out to workers in the agri-food, manufacturing, essential retail and construction sectors. 11 march – the northern ireland executive agrees to keep children in nursery, preschool and years one to three in class after 22 march, rather than reverting to remote learning as originally planned. queen's university belfast and the university of ulster have released figures showing the number of students suspended for breaches of covid rules, with 229 qub students suspended since august, and 263 from uu since september. the universities describe themselves as having "stringent" and "robust" disciplinary procedures in place for those who breach regulations. 12 march – the uk government agrees to deploy 100 military medical personnel to northern ireland to help with the accelerated rollout of the vaccine. 14 march – health officials in northern ireland announce that use of the oxford–astrazeneca vaccine will continue in northern ireland after its use was suspended in the irish republic amid concerns about possible links to blood clotting events in norway. no further deaths are recorded for northern ireland over the preceding 24 hours; 2,098 covid deaths have been recorded throughout the pandemic. 15 march – people aged over 50 become eligible to book a covid vaccine; health minister robin swann tells the stormont assembly that 30,000 vaccinations are booked in the first three hours of availability. swann announces that all post-primary education staff, and pupils in years 12–14 are to receive twice-weekly lateral flow tests from the week beginning 22 march. the department of finance makes available £1.78m in business support grants. 16 march – first minister arlene foster announces some changes to covid restrictions. all primary schools will return from 22 march, with all secondary schools returning from 12 april. from 1 april changes to meeting up will occur, along with some sports being allowed to resume. on the eve of st patrick's day, foster warns the celebration "must be different" this year. health minister robin swann confirms that almost 17,000 procedures, operations and diagnostic tests have been cancelled during the pandemic; these include more than 4,000 red flag cancer procedures. 17 march – responding to criticism about the lack of dates for releasing lockdown restrictions, first minister arlene foster says she understands that people want the restrictions lifted, but at the same time she does not want to have to "step backwards" again. police are called to belfast's botanic gardens to disperse crowds gathered to celebrate st patrick's day. northern ireland's four main churches announce plans to resume public services by easter, with the catholic church planning to resume services from friday 26 march, and the church of ireland, presbyterian and methodist churches planning to resume services from 2 april (good friday). 18 march – health minister robin swann says that all adults in northern ireland will get their first covid vaccine by the end of july in spite of an expected reduction in uk vaccines. teachers will not be required to carry out covid tests on pupils in years 12 to 14, it is confirmed. 20 march – northern ireland has another day in which no covid deaths are recorded. 21 march – the public health agency confirms the vaccination of northern ireland's homeless is underway, with 1,200 homeless people set to receive a vaccine in the coming weeks. 22 march – all primary school pupils, and those in years 12 to 14 of secondary education return to face-to-face learning. figures released by the police service of northern ireland show that 8,000 covid related fines have been issued by them since the start of the pandemic. 23 march – the department of education confirms that around 700 staff working at special schools in northern ireland have been given priority for covid vaccination. 24 march – no further covid deaths are reported for the most recent 24-hour period. health minister robin swann says that foreign travel over the summer holidays should be ruled out, and even travel to the republic of ireland is dependent on vaccine rollout. the catholic diocese of derry postpones first communions amid concerns they could encourage people to have parties. 25 march – no further covid deaths are reported for northern ireland for a second day in a row. official figures show that 703,334, almost half the adult population, have had their first covid vaccine, while 104,907 have had their second. doctors have expressed concern about the level of covid cases in the derry city and strabane district council area, which has northern ireland's highest covid rates, and call for better cross-border co-operation with the republic of ireland. 26 march – no covid-related deaths are reported for northern ireland for a third day in a row. catholic churches in northern ireland reopen for public worship in what is described as "cautious and careful" return. 27 march – first minister arlene foster is given her first covid jab at a vaccination centre in county fermanagh and says that she is "delighted" to receive the injection. 29 march – northern ireland records another day without any covid deaths. belfast's sse arena opens as a mass vaccination centre. plans are being developed by the department of finance and trade unions representing civil servants for what is described as an "enduring" remote work policy for northern ireland's civil service after the pandemic. 31 march – health minister robin swann receives his first covid vaccination at a pharmacy in ballymena. april 2021 1 april – the department of education confirms that all children will return to school on 12 april. the northern ireland executive agrees a £290m