STORMONT ministers have met to discuss the North of Ireland’s recovery plan from lockdown but it is now unlikely to be published until Tuesday.
Ministers had initially hoped to publish the plan on Monday but work to finalise details is ongoing.
It is understood the blueprint will focus on nine areas across social and business settings.
Each section will have five steps out of lockdown, guided by data.
That includes the infection rate of the virus, known as the R number, hospitalisations, vaccine rollout and progress in testing and tracing positive cases.
The delay comes as two more coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded by Northern Ireland’s Department of Health.
A further 138 cases of the virus have been recorded in the past 24 hours.
The department’s daily dashboard shows there are 302 Covid-19 inpatients across Northern Ireland’s hospitals.
Thirty-four patients remain in intensive care, while there are 29 coronavirus patients requiring ventilation.
Executive ministers will meet again on Tuesday morning with hopes of signing off the pathway-to-recovery document.
it is believed the Covid-19 lockdown exit plan includes nine “pathways” to take account of various parts of the North of Ireland economy.
The plan is not expected to include indicative dates but will set out criteria that must be met before restrictions on different sectors can be eased.
Last week, First Minister Arlene Foster said the executive would also take into consideration “not only local data but emerging evidence from other jurisdictions too”.
The North’s lockdown has been extended until Thursday, April 1, with a review due on Thursday, March 18.
Derry City and Strabane District Council is now into is third lockdown.
The council area went into its second lockdown on October 5 after a large spike in Coronavirus cases.
In the past 24 hours, there were ohly nine recorded Coronavirus cases within the council boundary.
The counil area recorded no new deaths with its total, moslty in hospitals, now at 132.
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