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A plan to take NI slowly out of lockdown could be published on Tuesday, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.

The executive is meeting to discuss the document, and it could be published within the next 24 hours if signed off by ministers.

They insist any changes to restrictions will be gradual and must be supported by scientific advice.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the first details of plans to ease lockdown in England.

Mrs Foster said devolution meant it was possible to have "localised solutions within a United Kingdom framework".

Why is Northern Ireland taking a different approach?

On Sunday, the prime minister emphasised a new "stay alert" slogan, as opposed to the "stay at home" message which had been promoted since the start of the lockdown.

That move was criticised by politicians in Northern Ireland, who have continued emphasising the original campaign.

As the infection has spread at different rates in various parts of the UK, Stormont ministers have said Northern Ireland must follow its own criteria and scientific advice.

The R-value - or reproduction number - is at the heart of the Executive's decision to extend the lockdown until at least the end of May.

The R-number shows how many people will get infected for every one person who gets ill.

In Northern Ireland, the R-rate is sitting just below one, at 0.8-0.9, and the Executive has said it must remain at a low level before restrictions can begin to be lifted.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said recovery would have to happen "one step at at time", to avoid the risk of a second spike of the virus in the near future.

What could NI's recovery plan look like?

It seems likely that the plan will not include projected dates next to different phases of easing the lockdown.

Setting "arbitrary" dates doesn't work, as it could provide false hope of some restrictions being eased prematurely, Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken told Radio Foyle's Breakfast programme on Monday.

First Minister Arlene Foster would not be drawn on the detail of the plan in an interview with Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, but said she hoped ministers would sign it off later on Monday.

There will likely only be "minor changes" announced by the Executive to take effect this week, on issues such as outdoor exercise and potentially some churches being allowed to facilitate individual prayer.

It is expected there will not be a phased return of schools until September.

The Executive is aware that while its own roadmap may differ from that announced by Downing Street, Northern Ireland is still reliant on Westminster for some financial support.

Many businesses in NI have availed of the government's furlough scheme, allowing employers to temporarily lay off staff while the government pays 80% of their wages during the crisis.

Alliance MP Stephen Farry said it was a "false narrative" to set the reopening of the economy against protecting public health.

"If we reopen prematurely and we have to go backwards and put measures in place once again, the economic and psychological impact of that is going to be immense - far greater than actually taking the safety approach," he added.

How will it differ from the Republic of Ireland's plan?

The Irish government has already announced a detailed plan for bringing the Republic of Ireland slowly out of lockdown.

It has five stages, with the first beginning on 18 May and the last phase by 10 August, if the spread of the virus is contained.

Phase one includes the reopening of golf courses on a restricted basis, and outdoor meetings between people from different households.

There are questions about how the Republic of Ireland's plan fits with what the NI Executive will announce.

The two jurisdictions share a 310-mile long border which people cross each day for work or leisure.

During the first stage of the lockdown, it emerged that gardaí (Irish police) had been informed they had no enforcement powers over people from Northern Ireland, who may have breached Covid-19 regulations in the Republic of Ireland.

What is NI's plan for testing?

Northern Ireland has been working to increase its testing capacity since the first case of the virus was confirmed in February.

Health officials say capacity has grown from 40 tests a day, to more than 2,000 tests now, with another laboratory due to start work this week.

However, testing remains limited to people who are being admitted to hospital, live in care homes or are essential workers.

In care homes, where almost half of Covid-19 deaths have been recorded so far, residents and staff are only tested where there is a suspected outbreak, or if they are new entrants to the care home sector.

It is not clear when the Executive intends to move to wider testing within the community.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said any recovery plan from lockdown must be linked to a strategy for widespread testing in Northern Ireland.

Effective testing and tracing has been proven to work in other countries "who have survived this" and there is no sense that such a testing strategy is ready in the UK, said the Foyle MP.

What is Northern Ireland's overall picture in terms of confirmed cases and deaths?

There is a considerable difference in the death tolls in the two sets of figures published in Northern Ireland.

While the Northern Ireland Statistical Research Agency recorded 516 deaths by 1 May, the Department of Health - which records deaths of patients who tested positive for coronavirus, and therefore mostly died in hospital - had recorded 365 deaths by the same date.

Nisra's toll is 35% higher because its weekly bulletin, released each Friday, records all fatalities with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, regardless of where the individual died and whether or not they had been tested for the virus.

So although the health department confirmed five more deaths on Sunday, taking its toll to 435, the overall death toll will be significantly higher.

The disparity between the two sets of figures has caused confusion, but the department said there was always a time lag for registering deaths in the community - which can take five days - so Nisra's report could not feasibly be linked to the daily figures.

Nisra's report on Friday showed there were 27 patients in intensive care with Covid-19 symptoms, compared to 58 a month ago.

How does Northern Ireland compare to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland?

Although comparisons between countries and regions are difficult due to differences in how statistics are compiled, Northern Ireland's death rate (27 per 100,000 of the population) is similar to that of the Republic of Ireland (29 per 100,000) and significantly lower than that of Great Britain (43 per 100,000).

A further 269 coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed across the UK on Sunday, taking its total to 31,855.

The Republic of Ireland announced a further 12 deaths on Sunday, bringing its overall death toll to 1,458.