BELFAST: Northern Ireland is to impose the strictest COVID-19 restrictions seen in the United Kingdom since early summer, closing schools for two weeks and shuttering restaurants for four, First Minister Arlene Foster said on Wednesday.
The British-ruled region has become one of Europe’s biggest COVID-19 hotspots in recent weeks. Its health minister described the situation last Friday as becoming more grave by the hour.
“We do not take this step lightly ... the COVID transmission rates must be turned down or we will be in a very difficult place very soon indeed,” Foster told the regional parliament after announcing the measures.
“We are very determined that this will be a time-limited intervention. They will not continue beyond the four weeks.”
The closure will affect the entire hospitality sector, with the exception of takeaway and delivery services, and double the length of the annual October school break from one week to two.
Under the measures, retail will remain open, but “close contact services” such as hairdressers and beauticians will be closed.
People will be advised to avoid all unnecessary travel and work from home, while universities will be asked to teach remotely as far as possible.
The United Kingdom as a whole has been reporting record numbers of daily infections, and the highest number of deaths since early summer.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced a new tiered system of restrictions for England on Monday, with Liverpool and the surrounding Merseyside region placed in the highest level.
The government of the Irish Republic will consider whether to respond to the new measures and impose additional restrictions in areas close to the open Northern Ireland border where infection levels are also very high, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said earlier on Wednesday.
Ireland has had stricter restrictions in place since last week, with all indoor restaurant dining and non-essential travel banned, but Varadkar said more measures may be needed.
Northern Ireland’s health department reported 863 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and seven more deaths, meaning it has had 334 cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days.
![]()
Northern Ireland to shut restaurants and suspend school in strictest UK lockdown
Short Url
https://arab.news/z7m4r
Northern Ireland to shut restaurants and suspend school in strictest UK lockdown
- The British-ruled region has become one of Europe’s biggest COVID-19 hotspots in recent weeks
- The closure will affect the entire hospitality sector, with the exception of takeaway and delivery services
Taiwan to send team to assess US rare earth deposits
TAIPEI: Taiwan plans to send officials to assess US rare earths deposits with a goal to have such minerals refined on the island, Economy Minister Kung Ming-hsin said on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up efforts to secure US supplies of critical minerals after China rattled senior officials and global markets last year by withholding rare earths required by American automakers and other industrial manufacturers.
Trump last week launched a US strategic stockpile of critical minerals, called Project Vault, backed by $10 billion in seed funding from the US Export-Import Bank and $2 billion in private funding.
While semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan is not formally part of that scheme, it has previously held talks with the United States on how it can help, given Taipei’s concerns about over-reliance on a China-centric supply chain.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up its military threats.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Kung said the ministry’s Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency would go to the United States to assess rare earths deposits there.
“Specifically, what rare-earth elements they contain and whether they are suitable. In other words, whether those are the rare earths we actually need. So we still need to investigate,” he said.
Given Taiwan does not mine such elements itself, it can instead play a role in refining the materials from other countries, Kung added.
“The technology is not an issue; the next step is scaling up,” he said.
Taiwan consumes 1,500 metric tons of rare earth annually, a figure projected to rise to 2,000 metric tons given economic growth, Kung added.
“Our goal is to expand production capacity to meet half of our demand by then, strengthening the supply chain.
President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up efforts to secure US supplies of critical minerals after China rattled senior officials and global markets last year by withholding rare earths required by American automakers and other industrial manufacturers.
Trump last week launched a US strategic stockpile of critical minerals, called Project Vault, backed by $10 billion in seed funding from the US Export-Import Bank and $2 billion in private funding.
While semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan is not formally part of that scheme, it has previously held talks with the United States on how it can help, given Taipei’s concerns about over-reliance on a China-centric supply chain.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up its military threats.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Kung said the ministry’s Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency would go to the United States to assess rare earths deposits there.
“Specifically, what rare-earth elements they contain and whether they are suitable. In other words, whether those are the rare earths we actually need. So we still need to investigate,” he said.
Given Taiwan does not mine such elements itself, it can instead play a role in refining the materials from other countries, Kung added.
“The technology is not an issue; the next step is scaling up,” he said.
Taiwan consumes 1,500 metric tons of rare earth annually, a figure projected to rise to 2,000 metric tons given economic growth, Kung added.
“Our goal is to expand production capacity to meet half of our demand by then, strengthening the supply chain.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.