Thanks for your company today, that's the end of today's live coverage.

Hopefully you'll join us again tomorrow from 08:00 when we will bring you further updates on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in Northern Ireland and beyond.

We will have continued coverage of the latest coronavirus developments this evening on the BBC News NI website and on BBC Newsline.

Have a great evening, we'll leave you with this picture taken in the beautiful Mourne Mountains

Image source, PA Media

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she "won't hesitate" to reintroduce lockdown restrictions if Covid-19 starts to get "out of control".

She said efforts to deal with the virus created a "delicate balance" which could easily be thrown off kilter.

If that happened, Ms Sturgeon said the government would have to "consider" restrictions "up to and including" shutting pubs and restaurants.

But the first minister said that was "the last thing I want to do".

Read more on this story here.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has finished laying the groundwork for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

The UN health agency said two experts had completed a "scoping mission" in China, marking the initial phase of an investigation aimed at identifying how humans were infected with coronavirus.

An international team, including leading scientists and researchers from China and around the world, will now begin investigations.

Studies will start in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified late last year.

It is thought the disease originated at an animal market in Wuhan, where it was transferred to a person.

Image source, PA Media

There have been 40 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland - the table below shows how many have happened in each council area.

Sewage testing is being conducted across England in a bid to develop wastewater-based Covid-19 surveillance.

Scientists discovered early in the pandemic that infected people "shed" the virus in their faeces.

Further research concluded that wastewater sampling could provide a signal of a coronavirus outbreak up to a week earlier than medical testing.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says this has begun at 44 wastewater treatment sites.

A Defra spokesperson said the government was working with scientists, water companies and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

They would "monitor for fragments of coronavirus genetic material".

The World Health Organization has stressed that there is currently no evidence that coronavirus has been transmitted via sewerage systems.

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There have been 40 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of positive cases to 5,988.

There have been no new Covid-19-related deaths recorded by the Department of Health over the weekend, which means the death toll recorded by the department remains at 556.

Twelve new cases of the virus were confirmed in Newry, Mourne and Down and 10 new cases were in Mid East Antrim.

Two patients with Covid-19 are being treated in intensive care and one is on a ventilator.

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

On Friday, the BBC reported that the number of weekly coronavirus-linked deaths registered in Northern Ireland had risen for the first time since mid-June.

The virus was mentioned on the death certificates of seven people up to Friday 24 July, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

Scotland's national clinical director has said there has to be a "reverse gear" over easing lockdown after 13 Covid-19 cases were linked to a pub.

Prof Jason Leitch was speaking after the cluster emerged on Sunday linked to the Hawthorn Bar in Aberdeen.

NHS Grampian said contact tracing efforts were continuing to find all those associated with the outbreak.

The pub has said the cases were linked to customers who visited the bar on 26 July.

Read more on this story here.

Belfast’s Grand Opera House has put back its reopening date to March 2021.

In a statement, it said this was down to a number of Covid-19 related factors outside the theatre's control.

The Opera House closed in January this year ahead of the pandemic, to undertake a major restoration and development project.

It was originally due to reopen in time for the pantomime season in late November.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears will not go ahead as planned in November 2020, and instead will move to the corresponding dates in November 2021.

Other shows directly impacted are Mamma Mia! which has moved to November 2022, and Scottish Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, which has been rescheduled to February 2022.

The National Theatre’s tour of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has also been postponed due to Covid-19 and is now due to take place in spring 2022.

"Having to postpone the pantomime and these other popular shows is hugely disappointing for all concerned and presents a significant blow to the theatre’s finances at an already challenging time," said Ian Wilson, chief executive.

"I am, however, pleased that we have been able to reschedule the shows into 2021 and 2022 rather than lose them altogether."

Image source, PA Media

DW Sports, the gym and sports retailer, has said it will enter administration, putting 1,700 jobs at risk.

The company, founded by former Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan, operates 73 gyms and 75 stores across the UK, including many in Northern Ireland.

All of its stores are to close, but DW said it would work with administrators to save as many gyms as possible.

Fitness First and its 43 gyms, which are part of the same group of companies, will not be affected, the firm said.

"As a consequence of Covid-19, we found ourselves in a position where we were mandated by government to close down both our retail store portfolio and our gym chain in its entirety for a protracted period, leaving us with a high fixed-cost base and zero income," chief executive Martin Long said.

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Image source, Reuters

HSBC's profits for the first half of this year have plunged 65% as it battles the coronavirus downturn.

The UK's biggest bank posted pre-tax profits of $4.3bn (£3.3bn), compared to $12.4bn for the same period last year.

The fall was much larger than analysts had forecast as HSBC was hit by loans turning bad and interest rates remaining low.

While HSBC is headquartered in London, more than half of its profits come from the Asian financial hub of Hong Kong.

HSBC said it has set aside $8bn to $13bn this year for bad loans as it expects more people and businesses to default on their repayments.

This is higher than previously budgeted for, taking into account the effects of the economic downturn.

The bank said it has given more than 700,000 payment holidays on loans, credit cards and mortgages, providing more than $27bn in customer relief.

HSBC has also been hit by the low interest rate environment, which squeezes a bank's profit margins on the loans it provides. The lower the interest rate, the less a bank makes on its lending.

A football game in the Republic of Ireland scheduled for tomorrow night has been postponed after a Waterford FC player displayed suspected Covid-19 symptoms.

The club was set to play Sligo Rovers in the SSE Airtricity League. The player will now undergo a Covid-19 test.

John Campbell
BBC News NI Economics and Business Editor

Image source, Bloc Blinds

Not many Northern Ireland businesses can say they have thrived during the pandemic.

Obvious exceptions are manufacturers, like Bloc Blinds, which quickly reorientated its factories to produce vital personal protection equipment (PPE).

The IT firm Kainos has also been able to keep growing.

In an unscheduled market update this week, it said trading had been strong.

Annual profits were on course to be "substantially" ahead of previous forecasts, said the firm.

The stock market liked this story and the company's valuation surged to well above £1bn.

Kainos said things had gone so well that it was withdrawing from the government's furlough scheme and handing back all the money it had received.

This amounted to about £400,000 for 131 employees who had been furloughed for two months at the start of lockdown.

The company was under no legal obligation to return this money.

However, the directors appear to have concluded that it was the morally and reputationally right thing to do, particularly as they are also paying a shareholder dividend.

This may set the bar for other companies: If there is sufficient cash to pay a dividend then should you also repay the furlough money?

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The deputy first minister has backed Health Minister Robin Swann's call for the NI Executive to reconsider its stance on face coverings.

At the moment, wearing face coverings in shops is optional. The executive is due to meet on 20 August to consider whether to make wearing them mandatory.

But Mr Swann wants the review date to be brought forward to 13 August.

He is not convinced the advice will be heeded and he wants the executive to warn the public that if they do not listen, the policy will be enforced "in the coming days".

Image source, AFP

Restrictions on daily life in many parts of the UK - to try to curb the spread of coronavirus - have been eased in recent weeks.

Employers can bring staff back to the workplace and people can use public transport for non-essential journeys (while wearing face coverings).

Many pubs, shops and restaurants have reopened, while most of those who have been shielding are no longer advised to stay at home.

How have people across the UK responded to the new freedoms?

Read more here

Image source, Reuters

Brian Goodman is originally from Londonderry but has been living in Manchester for a number of years.

A major incident has been declared there following recent rises in coronavirus infection rates and a number of new restrictions on public life introduced.

Brian tells BBC Radio Foyle he wasn’t shocked that a localised lockdown has been implemented.

“This has been expected really, I suppose as part of contact tracing and in being able to manage this it makes sense that we have local measures put in place. I think that in a sense, looking at it from a UK perspective, this is a lot less of an inconvenience than it would be otherwise."

He said, having been home in Derry recently, it seemed there was much more adherence to restrictions in NI than he has seen in England.

“That may be because more people are inclined to know their neighbours, and speak to their neighbours - I’m not saying that doesn’t happen in Manchester but certainly it is more specific to Derry for example."

New restrictions ban separate households from meeting each other at home. Members of two different households from mixing in pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues

Image source, PA Media

Restrictions on daily life in many parts of the UK have been eased in recent weeks.

People can go back to work, and many pubs, shops and restaurants have reopened. But, overall, how has the easing of lockdown affected the UK?

While more people are returning to the workplace, these trips are still well below February levels.

Read more on eight ways lockdown easing has changed the UK here.

Image source, PA Media

Diners across the UK will be able to enjoy half-price meals throughout August from Monday, as part of a government scheme aimed at boosting restaurants and pubs post-lockdown.

"Eat out to help out" applies to eat-in food and drink on Monday to Wednesdays at more than 72,000 venues.

The discount is capped at £10 per person and does not apply to alcohol.

But critics said unhealthy food should have been excluded from the scheme, over fears it could fuel obesity.

HM Revenue and Customs boss Jim Harra has also warnedthe scheme may not offer value for money for taxpayers.

Image source, alamy

A testing programme in nursing homes that do not have a confirmed outbreak of the coronavirus begins today.

Staff will be tested for Covid-19 on a fortnightly basis, while residents will be tested every month.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Pauline Shepherd of the Independent Health and Care Providers said the sector is working closely with the Department of Health as testing is rolled out.

“We are still working with the department in terms of additional support that may be needed,” she said.

"In terms of staffing and in particular in terms of actually testing residents who may have dementia or learning disabilities that may obviously pose problems with carrying out tests”.

The risk of coronavirus spreading in care homes is increasing as people begin to relax their own safety measures, the chief executive of Independent Health and Care Providers has said.

A testing programme in care homes that do not have a confirmed outbreak of coronavirus is being rolled out today.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Pauline Shepherd welcomed the move.

“The only way this virus can get into a care home is if someone brings it in and that’s either family visiting, staff or residents coming from other homes or hospitals," she said.

“Care homes are doing the best they can. As the community relaxes, in terms of people being out, then that will increase the risk of the virus spreading and therefore it will increase the risk for care homes.

“The issue with this virus, as everybody knows, is that people can have the virus but not show any symptoms so if we start repeating tests with residents every 28 days and staff every 14 days then that gives us a better chance of identifying the virus among people who don’t have symptoms.”

Ms Shepherd said that many care home staff and residents in Northern Ireland have had one-off test but this will allow more regular testing, meaning "we can take action".

Image source, Dogs Trust

The Dogs Trust charity has warned that thousands of dogs could be abandoned in the wake of Covid-19.

It predicts that as a result of the pandemic, up to 40,000 dogs in the UK could be at risk of being abandoned and straying.

The charity has welcomed news that the number of unwanted and stray dogs put down by councils in Northern Ireland has fallen by 90% in the past nine years.

Some 1,615 dogs were put to sleep in 2011 across the then 26 NI councils, according to Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs data.

That figure dropped to 152 in 2019-20.

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