A further 22 deaths of people with Covid-19 have been reported in Northern Ireland, bringing the region’s total pandemic toll to 1,498.
There are 751 people with the disease currently being treated in hospitals in the region, including 55 people in intensive care. 38 people are on ventilators.
There are currently 149 active care home outbreaks in the region.
On Tuesday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) expressed concern at the number of house parties continuing to take place during lockdown.
Assistant chief constable Alan Todd said gatherings in private dwellings remained the key concern of public health experts and, as a consequence, was the main focus of police efforts to enforce pandemic regulations.
The senior officer also insisted officers did have the power under the regulations to enter properties to ascertain whether breaches had occurred.
“Our biggest concern as a police service reflects the biggest concern from the senior medical advisers, and that is house parties and house gatherings in breach of the regulations where large numbers of people, meeting indoors, with alcohol for prolonged periods of time, creates a significant infection risk,” he said.
Mr Todd added: “The house gathering piece is a keen focus for us, because that’s what we’ve been advised is the key priority for the medical health advisers.”
Party fines
Mr Todd said generally there had been “very high” rates of compliance with new laws making it a legal requirement to stay at home in all but a limited set of circumstances.
“We have been performing a lot of policing patrols and policing operations across the weekend, engaging with the public, that’s been really positive,” he said.
“The vast, vast majority of those interactions have been really positive and well received by the public. As ever, of course, there’ll be a small number of people who choose not to adhere to the regulations and, regrettably, we have had to issue some penalties in that space too.”
Police issued 168 fines over Friday, Saturday and Sunday – mostly for individuals in respect of illegal house parties.
“Where people are deliberately flouting or deliberately breaching or recklessly doing so, they can reasonably expect to be penalised,” said Mr Todd.
“Again those are very small numbers, the vast majority of people are doing the right thing. But there will always be those small number of people who don’t wish to do so.”
He added: “I think what the public can expect to see in the coming weeks are more police, in more places, more of the time.
“That’ll be a combination of road checks on key routes, with specifically-tasked resources to that, we’re also protecting the resources in local neighbourhood teams, so they can expect to see the local neighbourhood policing teams police their area as well.”
