First Minister Arlene Foster has announced that garden centres and recycling centres will be allowed to open in Northern Ireland from Monday, as reported in the Belfast Telegraph.
Marriage ceremonies involving someone who is suffering from a terminal illness will also be allowed from next week.
Speaking at the executive's daily press conference on Thursday, Mrs Foster said the executive was trying to be "open and transparent" with the public, and would publish the thinking behind its decision-making on the Department of Health website.
Watch: First Minister @DUPleader & deputy First Minister @moneillsf announce changes to Coronavirus restrictions from next week and discuss moving towards step one of the recovery plan ⬇️https://t.co/jsGNW8Zt1c https://t.co/Pvc8CcICXz
— NI Executive (@niexecutive) May 14, 2020
On Tuesday, the executive published a five-phase blueprint for lifting restrictions.
The five-stage approach will start with people being encouraged to their workplace and will end with the opening of restaurants, cafes and pubs.
Mrs Foster said the Executive hoped to be in a position to give more detail about Step 1 of the recovery plan on Monday.
The first step includes groups of four to six people who are not from the same household being able to meet outdoors while maintaining social distancing, drive-through church services, churches opening for private prayer, opening of outdoor spaces and public sport amenities, drive-through cinemas and more sports, including some water activities, golf and tennis.
Mrs Foster made clear that moving from stage to stage will hinge on the level of the transmission remaining below R1. The R-number - or reproduction number- shows how many people will get infected for every one person who gets ill.
Earlier this week, Mrs Foster said the R-rate in NI was sitting at 0.79, falling from between 0.8 and 0.9 in the previous two weeks.
The first and deputy first ministers said the reopening of garden and recycling centres could only happen if social distancing measures were followed.
"It's important to emphasise that any changes in restrictions does not mean we can relax our behaviour in any way," added Ms O'Neill.
Fr Edward McGee, spokesperson for the Diocese of Down and Connor, said the move to allow marriage ceremonies for the terminally ill was an "act of compassion" by the executive.
"Couples who find themselves in these circumstances remind us all of what's happening at this time, and there's an urgency and a pastoral sensibility," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.
Mrs Foster said ministers had authorised the move after hearing the case of a terminally ill woman who wants to get married.
"We just felt that it was wrong that it couldn't happen," added the first minister.
Earlier, the Department of Health reported a further five deaths related to COVID-19 in Northern Ireland, mostly in hospitals, bringing its total to 454.
