Northern Ireland faces a "very severe" recession following the coronavirus crisis, Stormont's finance minister has warned.
Conor Murphy described the post-pandemic landscape as featuring "major challenges" including the UK's departure from the European Union.
Northern Ireland has taken its initial steps out of the Covid-19 lockdown, with the reopening of garden centres, churches for private prayer, and golf courses.
It comes as no coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland during the past 24 hours.
It is the first day since 18 March that no deaths have been reported by the Department of Health.
28 new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed, taking the total number of cases in the region to 4,637.
The NI Executive has published a five-stage plan for recovery, but this does not give indicative dates.
Mr Murphy said he recognises it is "inevitable we will have damage".
"We recognise inevitably businesses will suffer and jobs may go, but we're obviously trying to mitigate against that as best we possibly can," he told the BBC.
Northern Ireland's health minister warns against complacency after no new deaths reported
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"I think it is going to be very severe (a post-pandemic recession), and what we have to take into account is the impact of Brexit - that was something that was always going to be very economically challenging for us.
"We recognise there are a number of very serious challenges ahead, challenges that will last for some time, and what we want to do is try and support business to meet those challenges.
"There are very real challenges ahead. The Executive, when it reformed in January, was going to face a very challenging time politically, economically, in terms of support for public services because of the years of austerity budgets, but that's all been greatly increased because of the situation we are facing at the moment."
Mr Murphy said he is "bringing a process" to the Assembly today to approve additional funding for some departments, after four/five departments "spent more than we can them cover for".
However, he said, in other areas departments are spending less money than anticipated, such as on capital projects where building work has stopped.
"We have also asked departments to undertake a reprioritisation exercise to let us know monies that they aren't spending so that we can collectively, as an Executive, have a look at that and make sure the recovery plan we intend to put in place, that we will be discussing this week, will have resource to go along with it," he said.
Call for greater support for small businesses
Meanwhile, more cash is needed to help small businesses in Northern Ireland deal with the coronavirus pandemic, council chiefs have said.
Support should be broader than just the clients of Government jobs creation agency Invest NI, a group of councils told a Stormont committee.
An extra £20 million was recently allocated by the Communities Department to help local authorities support those in need and provide essential services.
Suzanne Wylie, Belfast City Council chief executive, said: "There is not sufficient finance to help the small and micro-businesses.
"Recovery funding packages are being put in place through Invest NI, primarily for their clients, not for the small businesses out there which employ so many of our population."
She said a funding package needed to be put in place for towns and villages to help reskilling and invest in digital infrastructure for the future recovery.
She said councils were facing significantly reduced incomes and acknowledged the Communities Department had announced its multi-million pound package of support.
Businesses have also enjoyed special support grants and rates relief as well as the UK-wide furloughing scheme.
Representatives from the Northern Ireland Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE NI) gave evidence to Stormont's Economy Committee today.
