Public transport in Belfast was suspended early on Thursday and a nurse was chased by four masked men while travelling to work, as the city continued to deal with public disorder following a knife attack earlier in the week.

The entire scheduled run of the Mean Girls musical at the Grand Opera House has been scrapped. Producers said continuing uncertainty over public safety gave them no choice. Vivian Panka, a black actress cast as Regina George, said on social media she had kept her blinds closed since trouble began and had received abusive messages from ticket holders who blamed the cast for the cancellation. She stressed the decision was made for safety reasons, not by the performers. Faye Tozer of the pop group Steps was also due to appear in the production.

The disorder started after Stephen Ogilvie was stabbed in north Belfast on Monday night. He lost his left eye and suffered deep cuts to his head, face and back. By Thursday his condition had improved and he could be brought out of a coma within 48 hours, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said after meeting the victim's parents. A 30-year-old Sudanese man, Hadi Alodid, has been charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody.

A nurse with a different skin colour was chased by four masked men while heading to work at the Ulster Hospital, it emerged on Thursday. Translink confirmed it was stopping all Metro, Ulsterbus and Glider services out of Belfast from 5.30pm, with the last trains leaving Grand Central Station on or before 8.15pm, citing the safety of staff and customers.

A community fundraiser set up by the Anaka Women's Collective in response to the racist incidents raised more than £150,000 in a single day. The money is being used for transport, emergency accommodation and essential supplies for people attacked, displaced or left traumatised.

Chloë Trew, director at the human-rights organisation Participation and the Practice of Rights, contrasted the community's speedy response with the reaction from elected representatives. She said that if politicians had shown a fraction of that commitment, the situation might not have escalated.