That's all for today.

Thanks for your company.

We'll leave you with this picture sent to us by one of our Facebook followers, Mary Lappin, which was taken at sunrise at the village of Kearney on the Ards Peninsula earlier this week.

We'll see you tomorrow at 07:30 for all the latest developments in coronavirus in NI and beyond. Bye for now.

Image source, Mary Lappin

There were Thursday night claps, pictures of rainbows in windows and special shopping hours, but have NHS staff in NI coped throughout the pandemic?

The Belfast Trust is asking staff to tell them how they adapted in a special survey.

The 2020 Ryder Cup has been postponed for a year because the coronavirus pandemic means the event cannot be staged safely with spectators present.

The event between the United States and Europe was due to be held at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin on 25-27 September.

But the biennial event has now been rescheduled for 24-26 September 2021.

Former Ryder Cup player and captain Darren Clarke agrees with the decision, saying fans are vital to the tournament.

Learner drivers who have successfully taken a theory test will have their pass certificates extended.

NI Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon says the current Driving Licence Regulations would be amended to allow certificates which expire between 1 March and 31 October to be extended by eight months.

Off-road motorcycle test pass certificates which expire between 1 March and 31 August will be extended by six months.

“This will be a welcome relief for many learner drivers who are worried about losing out due to the impact of Covid-19 on our services,” the minister says.

Theory test certificates are normally valid for a period of two years.

The changes come into effect on 1 September.

On Monday, theory tests and motorbike driving tests resumed in NI.

Bus and tractor tests are scheduled to restart on 20 July.

John Campbell
BBC News NI Economics and Business Editor

The hospitality industry in Northern Ireland has pursued a long campaign for a VAT cut.This was mainly about bringing the sector into line with competitors in the Republic of Ireland who have been paying VAT at a much lower rate.Now the industry has its wish, but not in circumstances it could have ever imagined.Restaurants, pubs and other businesses face a huge battle for sustainable trading in an era of social distancing.The VAT cut will allow them to fund price promotions in an attempt to get people through the doors.Or alternatively many will simply pocket in the VAT saving in an attempt to keep their businesses above water.

The Chancellor's announcement on a VAT reduction for the tourism and hospitality sector has been broadly welcomed in Northern Ireland.

Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster said: “After a long campaign over many years, the announcement of a temporary reduction on food, accommodation and visitor attractions VAT to 5% until January 2021 is a welcome boost."

Mr Neill said businesses will be operating at a reduced capacity for some time and ongoing support from the government will be "crucial".

But he added sharing a land border with the Republic of Ireland - which has a 13.5% VAT rate - makes it extremely difficult for the sector in Northern Ireland to compete and the Chancellor should look at permanently reducing the rate for hospitality and tourism.

The Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium is also urging the Chancellor to consider making cuts to VAT in other sectors in his Autumn budget.

Aodhan Connolly says while retailers can "take heart" from several of the initiatives announced today, he believes Mr Sunak's decision to cut VAT for tourism and hospitality was a "missed opportunity not to go for a broader reduction".

He added: "Such a move could have encouraged shoppers to return to the High Street; boosting, cafes, restaurants, and attractions, as well as shops."

Mr Connolly has also asked the NI Executive to act quickly and offer clarity to retailers on how the extra money released by Westminster will be spent here.

Read more here

Image source, House of Commons

Reacting to the Chancellor's summer statement, the DUP's Treasury spokesman Sammy Wilson suggested that clothes shops will welcome the cut in VAT on food arguing that "once we've eaten our way through a month's worth of half price meals we may be in need of new clothes".

On a more serious note he says "nothing was mentioned" about the aerospace and aviation sectors which are important to Northern Ireland.

On Mr Wilson's first point, Rishi Sunak says making progress towards opening gyms would help.

On the second point, he seeks to reassure the DUP MP that he is in "close contact with the industry".

Reality Check

Stamp duty, the tax on buying land or properties, is being temporarily cut in England and Northern Ireland.

From now until 31 March it will only be charged on properties costing £500,000 or more.

Previously, it was charged on properties costing £125,000 or more, except for first-time buyers, who paid nothing up to £300,000 and then a reduced rate up to £500,000.

So this will be a tax cut for first-time buyers looking for property over £300,000 and other buyers going for anything over £125,000 (there are different rules for people buying second homes).

The Halifax says the average price paid by a first-time buyer was £231,455 - so the average first-time buyer would not benefit.

You can read more about the stamp duty holiday here.

Coronavirus has brought large parts of the economy to a standstill, and the government has had to spend billions to support workers, businesses and the NHS.

The government now plans to rebuild the economy.

But where is all the money going to come from?

Image source, AFP

How much will coronavirus cost the UK?

It's still very early in the crisis, so it's impossible to tell how big the final bill will be. It's likely to be more than £300bn just for this financial year (April 2020 to April 2021),according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR),, externalwhich keeps tabs on government spending.

That's an absolutely enormous sum.

To put it into context: before the crisis, the government was expecting to borrow about £55bn for the whole financial year, but it borrowed more than £100bn in the first two months alone.

Read more.

Image source, House of Commons

The debate is now in full swing in the Commons, but what did Chancellor Rishi Sunak announce in his summer statement?

Here is a brief overview:

• A Jobs Retention Bonus, giving £1,000 to businesses who bring back employees from furlough
• A temporary VAT cut for hospitality and tourism - down from 20% to 5%
• An "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme for August, giving a discount to people eating at cafes, restaurants and pubs
• A rise in the threshold of stamp duty from £125,000 to £500,000
• A "kickstart scheme" to get unemployed 16 to 24-year-old into work
• New payments for businesses hiring apprentices

Read more here

During the pandemic, a total of 116,954 individuals have been tested for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Health.

The number who have tested positive stands at 5,765.

In the last seven days, 25 people have tested positive, with four people testing positive in the past 24 hours.

A total of 12 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19 but none of them are being treated in intensive care.

There have been no new Covid-19 related deaths recorded by Northern Ireland’s Department of Health in the last 24 hours, meaning its death toll remains at 554.

The department’s daily figures are mostly comprised of hospital deaths and where a patient had previously tested positive for the virus.

The latest figures on the department’s dashboard show the total number of confirmed positive cases of the virus now stands at 5,765, with four new positive tests recorded in the past 24 hours.

The positive cases have been recorded in Belfast (2), one in Lisburn and another in Mid-East Antrim.

Clodagh Rice
BBC News NI business correspondent

The hotel industry is predicting output could be halved because of the impact of the pandemic.

The tourism sector was thriving last year generating almost £1bn, however, this year it's predicted to generate £400m, Janice Gault from the NI Hotels Federation told Stormont’s Economy Committee.

Ciaran O’Neill from Bishop's Gate Hotel in Londonderry says their first weekend had a strong food and drink intake, despite a reduced capacity for social distancing, but that occupancy was low at 40%.

He told the committee there were times during this pandemic when if someone had asked if they would still be trading on 8 July, he would have said no.

That message was echoed by Eddie McKeever from McKeever Hotel Group who said the food and drink offering was strong, but that they have not had many room bookings as they rely on corporate travel.

Hotels have been given the go-ahead to have weddings from next week, but it could take some time before international and corporate travel return to 2019 levels.

The remainder of hotels in Northern Ireland are expected to re-open before the end of the summer, but Janice Gault says the difficult time for the industry will be between September and March.

It is understood the executive will discuss health advice on travel regulations tomorrow.

If you test positive for coronavirus what happens to those you've been in contact with?

Tracers will try to contact everyone you were in contact with for at least 15 mins in the days before and after you developed symptoms, but your identity will not be revealed.

The chancellor has announced "a new jobs retention bonus".

Rishi Sunak told MPs that if you are an employer and you bring some back who was furloughed and you continue to employ them to January the government will pay you a £1,000 bonus.

"The employee must be paid £520 each month through to January," he said.

"This would be a £9bn policy to retain people in work.

"If you stand by your workers, we will stand by you."

Image source, HOC

"The Kickstart Scheme will directly pay employers to create new jobs for any 16 to 24-year-old at risk of long-term unemployment," he said.

"These will be decent jobs – with a minimum of 25 hours per week paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

"I urge every employer big or small to hire as many kickstarters as possible."

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political correspondent

Stormont's health minister has been advised that travellers from the rest of the UK present "the greatest risk" of bringing Covid-19 into Northern Ireland, BBC News NI has learned.

The advice comes from the executive's chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser. Ministers will review the international travel regulations on Thursday.

The Department of Health said it had no comment to make on the content of executive papers.

Image source, Pacemaker

However, a spokesperson said Mr Swann was on record as saying that decisions around travel restrictions are a matter for the NI Executive and "he wants to see it resolved" at Thursday's meeting.

The document, which has been seen by BBC News NI, says the advice is "based purely on risk to virus transmission and propagation of the epidemic".

Health measures like quarantine are set by each UK nation separately. From 10 July, passengers entering England from dozens of countries will not have to quarantine, under what are known as "air bridges".

The Orange Order's grand secretary, Rev Mervyn Gibson, says he would prefer not to see any Eleventh Night bonfires this year.

Regulations in NI now allow for up to 30 people to gather outside, provided social distancing can be observed.

Rev Gibson told Talkback he "loved bonfires", but would be staying away from them this month.

"Personally I would prefer not to see any bonfires, because I think it is going to be hard to control crowds at them," he said.

"They will naturally attract people.

"Certainly I for one love bonfires, I go round them every year, have a great time, but this year I won't be going out because I don't believe I should be going out to a bonfire where there could be more than 30 people."

Image source, Pacemaker

In early April, the Orange Order cancelled all its traditional Twelfth of July parades due to the Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

The Orange Order has confirmed that these parades will not take place, and instead advised its members to celebrate the occasion at home.

The Twelfth is being celebrated on 13 July as 12 July this year falls on a Sunday.

Prof Sam McConkey, of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's department of international health and tropical medicine, tells BBC Radio Foyle it will be hard to eliminate coronavirus in a world where “people are coming and going”.

“Because we are committed here to open borders, and to having people coming and going, there is always a risk of it being reintroduced,” he says.

Image source, Panorama Images

“Many of us feel we need international communication to live our lives in any way well. We don’t want lots of travel, but we need some travel for essential services and for business”.

Prof McConkey says new cases of the virus on the island of Ireland are now at manageable levels, but says reaching 28 days without any new cases – the point he says a country can declare to be virus free – “is going to be very difficult”.

As the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, more and more protective equipment is ending up in the sea.

We are putting 129 billion face masks and 65 billion plastic gloves into the environment every month, according to Ocean Conservancy.

A Londonderry advice worker says the pandemic’s impact on jobs and the economy has thrown many people into “a great area of unknown”.

Jacqueline Gallagher, manager of Advice North West – formerly known as Citizen’s Advice, says they're seeing people "who wouldn’t have been our client profile before".

“For example the self-employed, people who were furloughed, people who have worked all their lives and never would have been used to the navigation of the welfare system.

“To make an application then for universal credit, people were really thrown into a great area of unknown for them,” she says.

In the four weeks beginning 1 March, there were 5,000 new Universal Credit application in the north west, according to a report compiled by Derry City and Strabane District Council