it s true that the case numbers have stabilised somewhat over the last few days, but a few weeks prior to that, there was a sustained increase in the infection rate bringing it to levels not seen here since the height of the pandemic back injanuary. some ministers in the devolved governments here at stormont hope that by strengthening their message, they will avoid the need to tighten the law. the advice to businesses, to prepare their staff to come back into the office has been scrapped, and instead, and employers are now being asked to help employees work from home. hospitality venues have been pointing out that with public health advice being strengthened around, for example, people being advised to limit the number of people they socialise with, well, that is leading to christmas parties being cancelled, so even though they will be allowed to remain open at this time of year, they fear their trade is going to be well down. likewise, some retailers have expressed concern that their