Stormont Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has warned that Omicron will hit Northern Ireland "like a ton of bricks". Ms O'Neill said that modelling presented to ministers suggested that in a worst-case it could be facing 30,000 Omicron cases a day.
Executive ministers are involved in ongoing discussions about the situation ahead of a formal meeting on Wednesday, when it is expected new restrictions to be applied after Christmas will be announced.
She said: "These figures are really alarming. It is going to be the sheer volume of cases that is going to be a dominant feature throughout January. "We know that by Christmas Day we could potentially have 11,000 cases a day. "We know that in the worst-case scenario, in terms of some of the