That's us for another day of live coverage of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Thank you for your company.

We'll be back at 07:30 GMT on Monday with more updates, so catch up with us then.

Until then, take care, stay safe.

We'll leave you with the happy sight of people enjoying some early summer sun today on Ballyholme beach.

Let's hope for more sunshine tomorrow.

Image source, Pacemaker

As we have been reporting this weekend, people who live alone in Northern Ireland are now able to form a so-called support bubble with another household... and here's a picture of how that bubble looks in Bessbrook.

Danny Canavan, seven, hasn't hugged his granny Rosaline Patton in three months due to the coronavirus restrictions.

She used to look after him every day after school but he hasn't been in her house or even near his granny for 12 whole weeks.

His mum Roisin sent us this "priceless" picture to spread some much-needed joy. Thank you!

Image source, Roisin Canavan

Rugby Players Ireland says it is "very disappointed" after a newspaper reported the IRFU is seeking a 20% pay cut for the four provincial sides.

The Irish Times stated that IRFU non-playing staff were set for a 20% pay cut and the governing body wanted a similar reduction for players.

There has been no action since 13 March because of the Covid-19 lockdown

Image source, Inpho

"We are very disappointed to see recent media reports about proposed player salary cuts," said the RPI.

The players' union added: "We are in the very early phase of discussions with the IRFU to establish fully the current and long-term financial position of the union and only then can the players consider any proposal.

"Rugby Players Ireland will not be commenting further at this time."

Read more here.

One further coronavirus-related death has been recorded in the Republic of Ireland, its health department says.

There have now been a total 1,706 Covid-19 related deaths in the country.As of midnight on Saturday 13 June, health officials were notified of eight more confirmed cases, bringing the total number to 25,303.They are working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

Earlier we reported the Department of Health in NI recorded no new coronavirus-related deaths here in the last 24 hours.

Across the UK a further 36 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths to 41,698, according to figures from the Department of Health.

Image source, PA Media

The figures include deaths in all settings, not just in hospitals.

This is the lowest daily rise in the UK since 22 March, when 35 deaths were recorded. However, figures tend to be lower at the weekend, due to reporting delays.

On 3 April, news outlets across the world marked the point that global cases reached one million.

And now, just over two months later, the figure is rising towards eight times as many.

The real number is expected to be much higher, as many people have not had access to testing and some countries have been accused of underreporting.

According to Johns Hopkins University in the US, external, the worldwide total is currently 7.8 million.

You can explore the BBC's own global tracking work here.

People should feel confident that it is safe to go shopping when non-essential shops reopen in England on Monday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.

Retailers have taken "extraordinary steps" to make sure environments are safe during the coronavirus pandemic, he told the Andrew Marr Show.

Perspex screens, social distancing and customer limits will all help create a protected environment, he said.

"All of that will mean people can feel safe," he added.

While food shops and pharmacies, as well as other essential retailers including banks and petrol stations, have been open throughout the lockdown, non-essential stores, such as book shops and fashion outlets, have been shuttered since 23 March.

Read more here.

It is a "scandal" that the recommendations of a report on the impact of coronavirus on people in black, Asian and minority communities have been "buried", an MP has said.

A leaked Public Health England draft cited racism as a possible factor in why people of such backgrounds are at increased risk of dying of the virus, external.

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said it was "horrifying".

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the report would be published next week.

The review, the second by PHE on the subject, pointed to discrimination as a root cause affecting health and the risk of both exposure to the virus and becoming seriously ill as a result of it.

Read more here.

In the Republic of Ireland, the average number of close contacts per confirmed case of Covid-19 rose to six during the week.

Data from its Health Service Executive (HSE) shows it takes on average 1.2 days for the testing process to be completed and 2.4 days for contract tracing to be carried out.

Image source, PA

Data from the HSE also shows there were 74 people in hospital last night with confirmed cases of Covid-19, as well as 128 suspected cases.

St James' hospital in Dublin as well as hospitals in Kerry, Sligo, Portiuncula, Mayo, Letterkenny, Wexford and Portlaoise have no confirmed cases.

There has been local praise this afternoon for New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

While there have been cautions against international comparisons, her country has been lauded as an example of best practice, with it lifting all restrictions except for those on people flying in.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday with Steven Rainey programme, political commentator and former councillor Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston said Ms Ardern had clearly "won the hearts and minds" and had "been clear and concise with communication".

"They say that leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others," she said.

"The ability to get extraordinary achievements from ordinary people."

She said the situation in Northern Ireland had been more of a "wishwash", but that "of late, they have shown a joint approach in trying to ease things".

"At the very beginning of this there was a lot of mistrust," she added.

More than half the UK population has struggled with sleep during the lockdown, a survey suggests.

King's College London researchers said sleep problems were more common in people facing financial hardship, while two in five reported having more vivid dreams than usual.

Sleep expert Susan Leigh told BBC Radio Ulster there's a link between lockdown and sleep problems.

"Everything's thrown up in the air, and we don't have the same structure to our days, some of us are eating more, drinking more, not getting as much exercise and that, combined with uncertainty - are we going to have a job in a few months’ time - can impact on the quality of our sleep."

Ms Leigh said the sense of alienation and frustration is also making dreams more vivid for some.

"Dreams where we might be flying, jumping, landing on a dragon or whatever, is our way of subconsciously navigating something that might seem unfathomable in real life.

"We may not know what the future holds, and dreams harness mythical creatures as metaphors that help us to get through an unfathomable problem."

There have been no new coronavirus-related deaths recorded in the Department of Health's daily update.

The figures, which mostly record fatalities in a hospital setting, show there have been a total of 541 deaths during the pandemic.

The new figures show no deaths both in the previous 24 hours, and deaths which have happened in earlier reporting periods but not yet recorded.

The staggered reopening of Northern Ireland's high street could spell trouble for businesses due to the dependency they have on each other, a business leader has said.

"Half a high street open isn’t really good enough to keep things sustained, because there is this symbiotic relationship, especially in Northern Ireland, between hospitality and leisure and retail," said Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium.

Image source, Pacemaker

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday with Steven Rainey, Mr Connolly said the challenge was about getting people to go into town and "spend their time as well as their money".

"There is a lot more work that needs to be done, especially for smaller shops who are putting social distancing in place," he said.

"That means it is really incumbent on them to try and get consumers in because usually you have to have a critical mass."

Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News

The delay in getting children and adolescents back to schools is a "national disaster" that is putting their mental health at risk, say leading psychologists.

In an open letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, they say the isolation of lockdown is harming already vulnerable young people.

Highlighting the low risk to children of Covid-19, they call for social distancing measures to be minimised.

And for a return to normal life.

Image source, PA

In the letter, signed by more than 100 specialists in psychology, mental health and neuroscience, and published in The Sunday Times, they write: "As experts working across disciplines, we are united as we urge you to reconsider your decision and to release children and young people from lockdown.

"Allow them to play together and continue their education by returning to preschool, school, college and university, and enjoy extra-curricular activities including sport and music as normally, and as soon, as possible."

Read more here.

Emma Simpson
Business correspondent

After three months of hibernation, non-essential shops in England will finally be able to re-open on Monday, just days after they did the same in Northern Ireland, external.

But it is clear Covid-19 will have a lasting impact on retail well beyond the end of lockdown.

There's socially distanced shopping, for starters. The new retail rules during this pandemic may take a bit of getting used to. It's one thing queueing for groceries, but we're going to have to be prepared to queue to get into all the other shops, too.

We're being encouraged to shop alone and to avoid touching things, where possible. You may have to forget trying clothes on as the guidance says fitting rooms should be closed wherever possible.

Image source, PA Media

Coronavirus is going to suck some of the fun out of one of our most popular social activities and not all of us will fancy waiting in line when we can buy what we want online.

Fewer shoppers means fewer transactions which may not cover all the costs of running stores, especially when government support measures start to ebb away.

Read more here., external

The Belfast Trust is reminding carers that they will be getting their own ID cards to show at shops and make their lives a little bit easier during the pandemic.

Two new moderators - Reverend David Bruce of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Reverend Tom McKnight of the Methodist Church in Ireland - have been speaking to Sunday Sequence about the impact of coronavirus on their vocation.

Rev Bruce said churches are "reeling with reinvention".

They are offering support to those bereaved "either through Covid or other ways and then having to cope with not being able to process that as families because of the restrictions placed on funerals".

He said it has been "a very difficult time for churches and ministers as they have sought to respond to what's before us".

Image source, Reuters

"I think this pandemic has drawn out both the best and the worst of us", but that examples of "extraordinary kindness and self-sacrifice" have been "so encouraging".

He said the longer term consequences of the economic downturn remain to be seen, "but we need to prepare ourselves for the worst".

"What I think we have discovered is opening up new channels to communicate the good news of the gospel has created fascination and intrigue."

Rev McKnight observed that lay people have become much more involved in pastoral support.

"I don't think the church will ever be the same again after this... There are some great opportunities arising as well as the extreme challenges."

He said the pandemic "has pointed out the difference between Christ and the church".

Although stressing that online services are not "a substitute for church", he said: "There are people who would be interested in Jesus, but are put off by some of the practices and things they think would be expected of them in church. To see a service online may bridge the way for them to be involved in the future and come closer to God."

Research by the Theo Think Tank suggests the spread of the coronavirus is exacerbating deep inequalities, hitting the poorest the hardest.

The author of the study, Simon Perfect, has been speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence programme about how inequality is "not just a social problem, it's a spiritual problem as well".

He said the gap between the rich and the poor became clearer during locdown.

"Wealthier families have gardens, they may have better internet connections, they can afford to get a tutor for their children, compared to poorer families who may have multiple people in a smaller space."

Image source, Reuters

His report argues that after the pandemic churches need to use their resources, both practical and theological, to become vocal champions against economic inequality, leading the national conversation about building a fairer economy.

"We think churches have something new and refreshing to say," he told Sunday Sequence.

"The economy shouldn't just be about consumerism. We need an economy... that allows everyone to flourish. We need an economy that has a higher purpose than mere consumerism."

Mrs O'Neill insisted she does not feel "any pressure whatsoever" to follow the Republic of Ireland's lead in terms of the easing of lockdown.

She also suggested that Monday and Thursday will be “significant days” in terms of executive annoucments on the easing of restrictions and that she expects those annoucements "will be welcomed" by the hospitality industry.

Image source, PA

"We want to keep moving forward - we want to keep giving people that wee bit more to try to get back to some semblance of normality, so the hospitality sector is one, but there's other sectors out there that are now asking for an indiciative date and I think it's important that we give them all indative dates."

She stressed, however, the need to "avoid a second wave if we can".

"I want the hospitality to open up, but imagine if we were to open up now and have to shut everything down in four or six weeks?"

She added: "I’m working our way through our plan gradually and incrementally. We’re certainly in a good place, making positive steps forward, but we need to do it gradually."

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme she’s open-minded on the idea of reducing social distance from two metres to one metre, but whatever decision she makes will be "guided by the scientific evidence and the medical evidence".

Image source, PA

"In all of this, its about balance - primacy has to be given to public health."

She said she would "continue to keep all of these things under review".