Stormont ministers are considering relaxing the rules on self-isolation in Northern Ireland.

Ministers are examining a proposal to bring arrangements into line with the rest of the UK, meaning people who are contacts of positive cases will no longer have to isolate for 10 days as long as they test negative and have had both jabs of the vaccine.

At Thursday’s virtual Executive meeting, ministers are also to discuss whether to drop the use of face masks in post-primary school classrooms and whether to continue with class bubbling arrangements.

Health Minister Robin Swann has tabled a paper proposing the relaxations around self-isolation while Education Minister Michelle McIlveen is pressing for an end to mask wearing in classes and classroom bubbling.

HEALTH Coronavirus
(PA Graphics)

Allowing the return of conferences and exhibitions will also be considered, as will the current one-metre social distancing requirement in indoor settings.

All other remaining Covid-19 restrictions will be discussed. These include limits on indoor and outdoor domestic gatherings; use of face masks in indoor settings; the ongoing closure of nightclubs; and restrictions on the hospitality sector such as the six person table limit.

The removal of all remaining rules seems unlikely, but ministers may move on some measures, particularly those with an outdoor focus.

Ministers are convening for the first time in two weeks amid continuing high infection rates in Northern Ireland.

Transmission rates in the region are the highest in the UK.

For the seven days up to August 1, the region’s infection rate was 445.3 per 100,000 of the population.

This was almost twice as high as the rate in England (282.1) and more than three times as high as the rate in Scotland (143.6) and Wales (141.5).

Brexit
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said self-isolation rules are causing serious problems for businesses (Liam McBurney/PA)

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said the current requirement for people to isolate for 10 days is having a negative impact on businesses.

“Combined with the difficulties that already exist within the labour market, the self-isolation rules that we have in Northern Ireland are causing real issues,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.

“We’re obviously behind the rest of the UK on this.

“They’ve recognised that there has been a problem, they’ve moved to address that, I hope we can do the same.”