One coronavirus-related death was reported by the Department of Health on Friday, its total number of deaths is now 558
Nisra records show there were 859 deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate by 7 August
74 new cases of coronavirus were reported in NI on Friday, the total number of cases stands at 6,299
The latest Covid-19 reproduction number (R) in Northern Ireland has been estimated at between 1.2 and 2.0
The Public Health Agency (PHA) says it has identified 11 clusters of Covid-19 where five or more people have tested positive since the start of contact tracing on 24 May
The education minister has written to parents and carers to tell them schools are "safe to open"
Image source, Jon MorrisonThe weekend is upon us and with the sun set to shine we hope you have a good one.
Blue skies like this don't happen often enough.
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Image source, Scott CuthbertThousands of holidaymakers have seen their plans thrown into chaos after UK quarantine measures were altered to include France and the Netherlands from Saturday morning.
One couple have had to cut their holiday short by six-days because they needed to return to work, one man needs to return home to care for his elderly mother and one family are desperately hoping to return in time so that their children will not miss out on the beginning of the school term.
Here are some of their stories.
Health Minister Robin Swann has said the increasing numbers of new Covid cases could be due to the easing of lockdown measures, but may also be due to people relaxing their attitudes to social distancing.
“We cannot become complacent because this virus continues to circulate and sadly continues to have devastating consequences for families," he said.
Image source, pacemaker"Today my department has reported 74 new positive cases and sadly one further death.
"I want to express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person who has tragically passed away.
"This upsetting news serves as a stark reminder that this virus has not gone away."
The Public Health Agency is reminding people that testing is now available to anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Testing for the general public is available at four drive through sites.
Details can be found on the PHA website, external.
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Coronavirus travel: Majorca's party capital deserted
Every year, more than two and a half million British tourists head out to Majorca on holiday.
Magaluf has long been the island’s party capital, where young people have been coming each summer for decades.
But there’s been a huge drop in tourists coming from the UK, partly because Majorca has been added to the list of destinations where travellers have to quarantine on return.
The main bars and nightclubs in Magaluf have also been shut down by police, after clubbers were caught on camera ignoring social distancing rules.
BBC News spoke to two British Club reps who have found themselves without work and living in a ghost town.
Image source, PacemakerSt Anne's Cathedral in Belfast has reopened for tours after they were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
From 11:00 BST on Friday, visitors have been able to take self-guided and audio-guided tours of the famous Church of Ireland building.
All visitors to the cathedral are required to wear a mask and adhere to the one-way system in operation.
The church was granted the "we are good to go" status by Visit Britain.
Opening hours at the cathedral have changed to 11:00-15:00 from Monday to Thursday and to 11:00-16:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Thousands of holidaymakers are racing to return to the UK, with quarantine restrictions imposed on France coming into force from tomorrow morning.
The 14-day isolation requirement from 04:00 BST also applies to people arriving from the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba.
Eurotunnel trains are booked up, while air travellers face steep prices and extra ferry services have been added.
Coronavirus: Grant Shapps explains France quarantine decision
France warned it would take "reciprocal measures".
Clement Beaune, France's secretary of state for European affairs, tweeted that the UK's decision was a matter of "regret" for the French, external.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the decision was triggered when the rate of infection in the affected countries exceeded 20 cases per 100,000 people over seven days.
Plans to hold a series of outdoor music events in County Londonderry have been shelved because of public health concerns.
The annual Stendhal festival draws thousands to a farm outside Limavady.
In a change from previous years, organisers had planned a series of scaled back and socially-distanced events within the current public health guidance.
“However, advice received this week from the chief medical officer and the chief scientific advisor is that they believe our events pose a significant risk to public health and that no events should take place,” organisers say.
Image source, CIARA MCMULLANThey have no alternative "but to make the decision to cancel all of the proposed events”, they add.
“From the outset we said that while we would do everything within our power to get the events approved, we would always put public health first and act on guidance provided by government."
Information on refunds for anyone who purchased a ticket will be available on the Stendhal website, external.
There has been one coronavirus-related death recorded in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours, according to the Department of Health's , externallatest update.
This brings the department's total deaths to 558.
The department’s daily figures are mostly comprised of hospital deaths, where a patient had previously tested positive for the virus.
There have also been 74 new confirmed cases of Covid-19.
This now brings the total number of confirmed positive cases in Northern Ireland to 6,299.
Simon Jack
BBC Business Editor
Statutory sick pay should be increased and the furlough scheme extended on a flexible basis, new research suggests.
Doing so would better manage a "crude" trade-off between lives and livelihoods as the UK economy reopens.
These are two of the recommendations in a new report from the Royal Society.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt says economic and health data should be combined to produce the best economic outcome at the smallest loss of life. The government says it has already protected 9.6 million jobs.
The report by Professors Sir Tim Besley and Sir Nicholas Stern warns that an abrupt and premature easing of restrictions would lead to a second wave of infections that would mean both a higher death toll and ultimately a greater hit to the economy.
Naomi Grimly, Global Affairs Correspondent
Teams across the world are working to develop a vaccine that will be effective against Covid-19.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called it "the most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes".
But away from the high-tech science of finding a winning formula, what about the logistics of rolling out a vaccine to seven billion people worldwide?
Image source, ReutersIn the UK, the heart of that effort is at the Harwell Science Campus, on an ex-RAF airbase in Oxfordshire.
It is going to be the UK's Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), plans for which have been brought forward by Covid-19.
"We've really compressed the timeline into almost half. So whereas we were expecting to have it ready at the end of 2022, we're now hoping to have it online in 2021," explains Matthew Duchars, chief executive of VMIC.
Image source, PA MediaA Londonderry school principal tells Talkback that processing exam result appeals only adds to the pressure many head teachers are already under.
“We are forgetting the fact that principals are under pressure to get Covid restarts - and get everybody back on the premises,” says Oakgrove Integrated College’s Katrina Crilly.
“Where are the resources coming from to manage all these appeals?”
But despite readying for the return of pupils for the first time since March, a dedicated team now needs to be set aside at her school “to process appeals only out of already strained resources," she says.
Principals feel “like general dogs bodies” whose integrity was “questioned when it came to the results we submitted”, she adds.
Education Minister Peter Weir has written to parents and carers to tell them schools are "safe to open".
But Mr Weir said that, while all children would return full-time from 31 August, it would not be "business as usual".
On Thursday, the Department of Education (DE) issued detailed guidance to schools on reopening.
Some unions said they had "grave concerns" over the arrangements.
Image source, PA MediaThe guidance said schools would reopen with "relaxed" social-distancing rules and face coverings would be optional rather than mandatory in classrooms.
Teachers' union, the NASUWT, criticised the department's guidance, saying it was "entirely unfair and unrealistic" for schools to respond effectively to guidance so close to the start of the new school year.
Public sector unions Nipsa, Unison, GMB and Unite, which represent thousands of support staff in schools, said they were "gravely concerned" over the arrangements.
You can read more here.
Image source, Department for the EconomyGalgorm Castle Golf Club will host the 2020 Irish Open from 24-27 September, the European Tour has announced.
As had been expected, the event will be staged at the County Antrim venue for the first time.
This year's Irish Open was scheduled for Mount Juliet in Kilkenny in May but fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Playing the tournament at the Galgorm Castle course will enable competitors to travel from the US Open without having to quarantine.
"With quarantine restrictions for travellers into the Republic of Ireland ongoing and the ban on mass gatherings still in place, the European Tour made the decision to move the tournament to Northern Ireland," a statement from the European Tour said.
It added that the tournament will now be "subject to similar guidelines to the current 'UK Swing' events, including being played behind closed doors".
Economy Minister Diane Dodds said it will be another opportunity to "showcase to the world how Northern Ireland and top class golf work well together".
You can read more here.
Downloading NI’s track and trace coronavirus app now will help limit the virus’ transmission during a potential second wave, its product manager says.
“It’s important that as many of us as possible are using the app and are familiar with the process,” Dr Eddie O’Neill says.
“This will inevitably help limit transmission in any future second wave that we may face in the winter, along with the manual Test, Trace, Protect contact tracing programme.
“The app comes at a really important time, ahead of winter and a potentially very challenging time for our health service."
Image source, HSCNIThe app – launched two weeks ago – has now been downloaded 250,000 times.
Health Minister Robin Swann says it is important as many people as possible download the StopCovidNI app.
"For those who have downloaded it, remember to share it with your friends and family.
“While the app is still in its infancy, it is really positive and reassuring to see that the app is already helping in preventing spread of Covid-19.”
Image source, PAPeople coming to the UK from France and several other countries will be forced to quarantine for 14 days from Saturday.
France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba have been removed from the UK government's list of countries exempt from quarantine rules., external
The rules for the new additions to the list, including France, will come into effect at 04:00 BST on Saturday 15 August.
There are currently about 160,000 UK tourists thought to be in France at present, and the deadline is expected to lead to thousands of people rushing to ports and airports in a bid to avoid quarantine.
The BBC has offered this guide on options available to those from the UK currently in France.
The Stormont executive yesterday agreed how to reallocate £123m from Covid-19 funding.
It is not new money, but out of an existing pot of more than £700m from the Treasury for the rest of the year.
The latest round of allocations in full are:
Finance Minister Conor Murphy said the allocations "will help to maintain key public services, support economic recovery and protect the vulnerable".
Following yesterday's A-level and AS results the education minister is facing questions from MLAs at Stormont.
More than a third of estimated grades allocated by teachers to NI students were lowered by the examinations body CCEA.
Peter Weir told the Education Committee that in the absence of actually sitting exams, there was a desire to create a “least worst solution” and says “no one suggested a different workable process for delivering fair and robust grades in the space, or time, that was available”.
Image source, NI AssemblyCommittee Chair Chris Lyttle asked the minister if he would like to apologise to students who have been upset by their downgraded results.
"I understand the disappointment people have," the minister says.
Mr Weir says it's important to understand that "no-one has been downgraded" and that there has been "a difference between where teachers have assessed what they feel the pupils should be getting and what the actual results are".
He says that has been the case for a number of years.
Image source, ThinkstockStudents here who are appealing their results should contact the university they applied to, university admissions service Ucas says.
"It is really, really imperative that they contact their university of choice and let them know that they are lodging this appeal,” Courtney Sheppard of Ucas says.
He says the universities and colleges that work with Ucas have a 7 September deadline.
“We have been working with all the exam boards to ensure that those appeals will come through and students should be able to lodge those and receive those upgraded results by that date,” he says.
He adds that universities will be flexible in keeping places open for appealing students.
Image source, PA MediaBusinesses in the Irish counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly – where localised Covid-19 restrictions are currently in place – are expected to get extra financial help from the Irish government, RTÉ is reporting.
Cafés, restaurants and bars, cinemas and gyms all closed at midnight last Friday or a two-week period after a rise in coronavirus cases.
A package of economic support to help businesses in the three counties will be announced later today.
Measures are understood to include a 20% top up to existing grants for Irish businesses which range from €4,000 to €25,000.
That would mean businesses in the three counties could get an additional one-off payment ranging from €800 to €5,000.
RTÉ says a financial package is also likely to include a €1m fund to promote tourism in the counties once the restrictions end.
