.
Prof Young highlighted that R is currently around 1.4 in Northern Ireland and the aim of the current four-week circuit-break is to reduce the number by 0.5, to below one.He said: "Even these small numbers, particularly when R is close to one, can have an enormous difference.The data is contained in a scientific paper that guided the Executive's recent decisions on the introduction of the circuit-break.
While the Executive paper said closing close contact services would have a low impact on Covid-19 transmission - potential reduction in R by 0.05 - it said it would have a high social and economic impact, warning it would disproportionately affect low-income workers and women. In terms of the non-Covid impact, the paper again warned of a high impact caused by a loss of income for hospitality workers.
— Simon Hamilton October 20, 2020 Mr Hamilton, a former DUP health and economy minister in the Executive, described the evidence published on Tuesday as "absolutely shocking".
Ministers advised the move to close some businesses would result in a low to moderate impact but still they ploughed ahead and put the country into the dark ages