The number of Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland falls for the fifth week in a row, according to NISRA figures
The figures show 757 deaths in total, with 36 deaths occurred in the week ending 29 May
NI's Department of Health, which releases daily figures on mostly hospital deaths, had recorded 528 deaths in total - more than 200 fewer - by the same date
UK passes 40,000 coronavirus deaths - only the second country to pass the figure, after the US
Primary pupils may attend school two days a week under draft proposals for education's return
Irish cabinet decides to ease more lockdown restrictions than those outlined in phase two of its road map
In the Republic of Ireland, seven further Covid-related deaths were recorded, bringing the total there to 1,670
That's it for today folks. We'll be back at 9am tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, our website will have all the latest news.
Image source, PAWe'll leave you with this heartwarming image of Michael McCaw from Belfast, and his new wife Lucrecia Landeta Garcia, originally from Argentina, who got married at Belfast City Hall today.
Congratulations to them both!
Here's a recap of today's main coronavirus developments:
The GAA's road map out of the Covid-19 crisis says inter-county action will resume on 17 October with club fixtures restarting on 31 July.
A 15-page document speaks merely of "inter-county" action not resuming sooner than the October date but this is referring to the championship.
Inter-county squads will be permitted to train from 14 September.
Image source, INPHOThat will be in the fifth and final stage of the Irish government's plan to emerge from Covid-19.
Olympic prospects and rugby players from the three southern provinces will be among elite Irish athletes allowed to resume training at designated venues from Monday.
The decision comes after the Irish government approved a submission from Sport Ireland calling for the move.
Governing bodies in Olympic sports said continuing inactivity left athletes in danger of falling behind rivals.
Image source, InphoThe decision also allows Derry City to resume training.
The Brandywell outfit are among four League of Ireland clubs set to take part in a tournament in July which is aimed at restarting domestic football in the Republic of Ireland.
Leinster, Munster and Connacht will be able to return to training next week, albeit under social distance requirements for now, while Ulster rugby players are scheduled to link up again on 29 June.
Read more here.
From 29 June places of worship will be allowed to open again in the Republic of Ireland.
It’s part of an acceleration of the easing of lockdown announced earlier on Friday.
The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin says he, like other Irish priests, is “greatly looking forward to celebrating public Mass and the sacraments soon with our congregations".
Archbishop Martin says bishops will meet remotely next week to “finalise our framework document for the return to Mass and the sacraments".
“I wish to commend dioceses and parishes for undertaking preparations to facilitate the safe return of the faithful to public worship in a measured way, and for their reaching out to parishioners in very difficult circumstances during the lockdown which included the broadcasting of Mass and other prayer opportunities by webcam.”
Archbishop Martin also says it is his “fervent hope and prayer that parishes in Northern Ireland will also soon be able to gather for public worship in the same way as parishes on the rest of the island.”
Prisoners at Magilligan have made "isolation gowns and scrubs" for the NI Scrubs Causeway Coast and Glens group.
In a tweet, the prison service thanked First Derry Presbyterian Church for donating materials.
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Queen's University is hosting drive-in films at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast to help raise money for research to benefit survivors of Covid-19.
A number of screenings will take place over the weekend of 13-14 June.
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Kevin Magee
BBC News NI
Up until last Friday, 757 died in NI after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The trend is downwards for the fifth consecutive week, but the rate at which the deaths are falling has slowed.
However, intensive care patients with coronavirus now account for less than 10% of the total ICU patients across Northern Ireland. On 10 April, there were 58 patients in ICU, but that's now fallen to seven.
Image source, ReutersIn terms of the R number, when the outbreak began, it was around three. Now it is 0.7 to 0.9.
What we don't know about this number is what it has to reach before other restrictions will be lifted.
Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young says some form of social distancing, and hand and respiratory hygiene will be with us "for some considerable time to come".
He said as the levels of the virus become very low in the community, the conditions may be set for the relaxation of some of the current measures, "but we'll need to remain careful for the foreseeable future".
There have been seven more coronavirus-related deaths in the Republic of Ireland.
That brings the total number of deaths there to 1,670.
Ireland's Department of Health says there are now a total of 25,163 confirmed cases of the disease - a rise of 28 since yesterday's figures.
It comes as the Taoiseach announced a significant acceleration in the easing of lockdown measures in Ireland.
Earlier today the Irish cabinet decided to ease restrictions in a faster timetable than previously set out - with all travel restrictions now set to be lifted by the end of June.
Image source, PAUnder 'Phase 2 Plus' those in the Republic will be able to travel anywhere inside their own county from Monday - rather than be limited to just 20km from home.
Groups of up to six people can meet indoors or outdoors if they keep two metres apart, and groups of up to 15 people can meet for outdoor sporting activities.
Up to 25 people can attend funerals and public libraries can open.
Shopping centres can reopen from 15 June, but there will be no congregating in food courts and social distancing will have to be observed.
Two Catholic grammar schools in Omagh have become the latest to abandon the use of transfer tests to select pupils for 2021.
Loreto Grammar School and the Christian Brothers' Grammar School said they had taken the decision "in light of the unique circumstances".
Both County Tyrone schools normally use results from the GL Assessment test.
It is run by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) to admit pupils.
Two Catholic grammar schools in Enniskillen and five in County Down had previously said they would not use the PPTC test this year.
The integrated school Lagan College also said it would not use transfer tests to select pupils for one year.
Read more on this story here.
Principals and teachers look forward to the Department of Education finalising plans for the return to school, a primary school principal has said.
It has emerged pupils in post-primary schools could be in school every other week, while those in primary schools would attend two days a week in the new school year.
Keith Wysner, principal of Whiteabbey Primary School, Newtownabbey, said “clarity” was essential.
He said he preferred the two-day per week option for primary school pupils and said one week on and one week off for that age group could be “off-putting”.
“It may not sound much being in school two days a week but provision would be throughout the whole week with a blended form of being in school and home-learning support,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra programme.
Image source, PA MediaMy Wysner said principals would “be sensitive to family needs” but accepted there may be dilemmas for families with children in different schools.
He said there were also concerns around childcare and shielding requirements.
Earlier we reported that the reopening of hotels in the Republic of Ireland is being moved forward to the end of June.
It’s one of a number of restrictions the Irish cabinet decided to ease quicker than previously set out.
Hotels here are set to reopen on 20 July.
Janice Gault, chief executive of the NI Hotel Federation, said the move in the Republic is “not surprising” given the “unlocking of the tourism industry has been moving at pace throughout Europe".
She says the move south of the border “may be an opportunity for the date in Northern Ireland to move forward and we are aware that this is the wish of hotels in a number of locations who rely on a strong summer season".
She said significant work is going on behind the scenes to “to create guidelines and operating procedures to ensure that hotels are Covid-19 safe".
Clodagh Rice
BBC News NI business correspondent
Belfast Chamber of Commerce and Hospitality Ulster are calling on the executive to bring forward the dates of reopening for retail and hospitality sectors.
It comes after Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar brought forward the date that hotels in the Republic can reopen by one month, from 20 July to 29 June.
Pubs that serve food in the Republic will also be allowed to reopen from that date, whereas in Northern Ireland pubs still don't have a date to work towards.
Mr Varadkar also confirmed all shops in the Republic can open from Monday - unlike the restrictions in Northern Ireland which limit which shops can reopen.
Image source, pacemakerIn a joint statement, Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster and Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said: "With the government in the Republic announcing it is bringing forward its dates for when retail and hospitality can reopen, the Northern Ireland Executive urgently needs to follow suit.
"Our retail and hospitality sectors have now had their doors shut for three months to stop the spread of Covid-19 with costs still rising and no income in their tills.
"They are actively planning and preparing to reopen in ways that ensure staff and customer safety, all they need now is a date from the executive when they are permitted to do so."
It continues: "It is ridiculous that in a few weeks time you'll be able to eat a meal in a pub or buy a pair of shoes in Ballina but not in Belfast.
"We are demanding that Stormont don't let our retail and hospitality sectors fall behind."
British Airways owner IAG is considering mounting a legal challenge to quarantine rules which are due to come into effect on Monday.
The dramatic move marks another sign of a breakdown in relations between the airline and the UK government.
IAG boss Willie Walsh told Sky News that airlines had not been consulted on the 14-day quarantine period for people arriving in the UK.
Image source, PA MediaHe said he expected other airlines to also mount legal challenges.
"We think it's irrational, we think it's disproportionate and we are giving consideration to a legal challenge to this legislation, so we're reviewing that with the lawyers later on today," Mr Walsh said.
"I suspect there are other airlines who are doing so, because it's important to point out there was no consultation with the industry prior to enacting this legislation and we do believe it is an irrational piece of legislation."
Northern Irish grassroots team TW Braga and junior outfit Kilrea United have been fined 10,000 Swiss Francs, about £8,500, due to technicalities over player registration.
When clubs are already struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the clubs say the financial setback could not have come at a worse time.
Fifa's issue with TW Braga related to the registration of Hassam Ayari, who joined the club after living in New York. His family loved Northern Ireland so much they decided to settle there.
Image source, TW BragaTim Wareing, academy director at TW Braga, spotted then eight-year-old Ayari's ability on YouTube and after a conversation with his father, it was agreed he would join the club.
His mother is from Lithuania and, although he travelled on a European Union passport, Fifa has declared Ayari required international clearance despite, at the time, receiving advice to the contrary.
Read more here.
If you're tuning into our live page now hoping to see the daily briefing from Stormont, unfortunately there isn't one to bring you today. But we'll have all the latest developments, including more on the moves to accelerate the lifting of lockdown in the Republic, right up until 7.30pm.
The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has passed 40,000.
It comes as another 357 people were reported to have died with the virus in hospitals, care homes and the wider community, according to the Department for Health. It brings the total to 40,261.
The UK is only the second country in the world to pass that number of deaths from Covid-19.
In March, the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said keeping deaths below 20,000 would be a "good outcome".
A leading NI football writer says the Irish league should only return when a proper Covid-19 testing programme is in place.
Steven Beacom tells BBC Radio Foyle’s Mark Patterson Show testing is the key to the return of football here.
Image source, Inpho“Where the Irish League is concerned, they don’t have the capabilities at this point in time to do any testing.
“Safety is the paramount issue here, not just for sport but for society as whole,” he says.
Earlier this week the Irish Football Association is hoping to engage with the NI Executive to accelerate the return of the Irish Premiership.
Lesley-Anne McKeown
BBC News NI
Image source, MCAFEE FAMILYThe daughter of a nurse fighting for her life after contracting Covid-19 says she does not believe enough was done to protect her mother.
Collette McAfee, 64, came out of retirement to help during the pandemic and worked several 12-hour shifts in Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast.
It is not clear where she contracted the virus.
Runwood Homes, which ran the home, said it could not comment further on her circumstances of work.
The Belfast Trust said it was continuing to support the family.
Read more here
Robbie Meredith
BBC News NI Arts and Education Correspondent
Primary school pupils would attend two days a week under draft proposals by a Department of Education Working Group, while pupils in post-primary schools could be in school every other week.
The group is looking at how often pupils could attend school when they return in September.
The draft document, seen by BBC News NI, suggested an "alternative weeks" model for post-primary, with classroom learning one week and remote learning the next.
Image source, PA Media"This option has obvious attractions in terms of reducing class sizes, reducing transmission risk, supporting remote learning, reducing transport capacity needed and provides a fixed routine for children and parents," it read.
A different "split week" pattern of pupil attendance is suggested as a more viable option for primary schools.
