Good evening,

As the weeks have gone on, the devastating impact of coronavirus on our care homes has become more apparent. 

On Friday, the precise nature of the impact was laid out in stark terms by the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (NISRA). Of the 276 deaths involving Covid-19 in Northern Ireland up to April 17, 60.1% occurred in hospitals while 33.7% occurred in care homes.

That is a very worrying statistic indeed for the people in care homes and especially for their families and loved ones. 

On Friday it was also revealed that Northern Ireland has suffered another 15 deaths related to coronavirus. 

It has also emerged that Emma Spence, sister of the Ulster rugby player Nevin Spence who died in a tragic farm accident eight years ago, along with his brother and father, has given birth to twin boys. Touchingly, they have been named in tribute to Nevin, his brother Graham and dad Noel, who all lost their lives in the tragedy. 

Stay safe,

Alistair Bushe, Editor

Here are today’s headlines:

• The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland has increased by 64 according to data released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The data concerns all COVID-19 related deaths occurring in Northern Ireland up until April 17, 2020. NISRA updated report reveals there were 276 deaths involving COVID-19 in Northern Ireland up to April 17, 2020 whereas the comparative number of deaths published by the Public Health Agency (PHA) at the time was 212. The NISRA data reveals of the 276 deaths up to April 17, 2020, 66 (60.1%) occurred in hospital, 93 (33.7%) occurred in care homes, 3 (1.1%) in hospices and 14 (5.1%) occurred at private addresses or other locations.
• The Northern Ireland Executive has decided to reopen cemeteries after they were closed when social distancing measures were introduced towards the end of March 2020. The Executive met on Friday afternoon and agreed that cemeteries throughout Northern Ireland could reopen. Mrs. Foster said it was about "balancing public health concerns with basic human need to visit a loved one's grave".
• Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has announced financial support of up to £17m for ferry operators to keep supply chains open during the Covid-19 emergency. The financial support package, to be joint-funded by the Executive and the Department for Transport, will assist ferry operators who provide critical supply routes for a two-month period. This will ensure that the supply routes which Northern Ireland relies on for food, medicines and other essential supplies continue without any interruption.
• The UK death toll has increased by 684 in the last 24 hours - bringing the total to 19,506. A further 5,386 people have tested positive for coronavirus across the UK. 
• A number of resources on COVID-19 in British and Irish Sign Language are available for those with hearing impairments or who are deaf. The British sign language video can be found here and the Irish sign language video can be found here