Testing will be made available to all care home staff and residents by next month, the health minister has said.
Robin Swann said testing would be extended to all residents from June, with a rolling staff testing programme also put in place.
Almost half of the 599 Coronavirus-related deaths in the North of Ireland recorded by Nisra have happened in care homes.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill is among those who have called for universal testing in care homes here.
There have been 137 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes across the North of Ireland, according to figures from the Department of Health.
Mr Swann said testing in the sector was “easier to demand than to deliver”.
“It has always been my intention to over-deliver rather than to over-promise,” he said.
“Following detailed planning and preparatory work, I can now confirm that testing will be available to all residents and staff.”
At the moment, care home staff and their relatives here can be tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Residents and staff in care homes where there is a suspected outbreak are also tested or if they are new entrants to the care home sector.
In the Republic, testing of all care home staff and residents is expected to be completed this week.
Eddy Kerr of the Hutchinson Care Homes Group said Mr Swann’s announcement would be “welcomed by everyone”.
“Across the care sector there is a real need for ongoing assurance and we can only be happy with this news today,” he said.
“It’s another building block, another step in the right direction, it’s something the stakeholders have been calling for.
“We will work closely with all the stakeholders to make sure this is done in as timely and as effective a manner as possible.”
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