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STORMONT MINISTERS MUST issue a guide advising against non-essential travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic and Great Britain and after an offer for a total travel ban to Great Britain was rejected.
People arriving in Northern Ireland will also be advised to self-isolate for 10 days.
A Sinn Féin proposal to temporarily ban travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain was rejected during an emergency virtual executive meeting late at night, the Palestinian Authority news agency understands.
The meeting was called on short notice after Health Minister Robin Swann distributed a document in response to the appearance of the Covid-19 variant in which he recommended issuing guidance against all but essential travel rather than proceed. to an immediate ban.
It is understood that the DUP, UUP and the Alliance opposed Sinn Féin’s proposal, while the SDLP supported it.
After that was rejected, ministers agreed to Swann’s recommendations without the need for a formal vote.
The document presented by the health minister also called for more preparatory work to examine the legal issues surrounding the introduction of any travel ban.
He drafted the proposals after consulting with the Northern Ireland Attorney General on the issue of travel restrictions.
After the meeting, Swann tweeted: “I am pleased that the executive agreed to my document tonight, including immediate guidance against all but essential travel between NI and GB / RoI, with all newcomers here requested to be self-isolate for 10 days.
“More work is needed on the legal travel ban option, both legally and logistically: vital supplies for NI and essential travel must be protected.”
I am pleased that the executive has accepted my document for tonight, including immediate guidance against all but essential travel between NI and GB / RoI, with all newcomers here requested to self-isolate for 10 days. 1/2
– Robin Swann MLA: #StopCovidNI (@RobinSwannMoH) December 22, 2020
Before the executive meeting, Sinn Féin Finance Minister Conor Murphy wrote to Swann expressing “dismay and amazement” that he was not immediately moving to instigate a travel ban between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Murphy asked Swann to reconsider the position he had stated in his document.
Ministers have been debating the possibility of amending the 1967 Public Health Act to introduce short-term travel restrictions.
While Sinn Fáin supports the measure, the DUP insists that internal UK travel is already banned in Level 4 areas in England, so there’s no need to add Stormont legislation to enforce that.
Supply chains
Earlier yesterday, DUP Prime Minister Arlene Foster warned of serious ramifications should a travel ban be introduced.
Foster said the new strain of coronavirus has likely already arrived and warned that supply chains could be in jeopardy by restricting travel.
“It’s a very simplistic thing to say ‘let’s close Northern Ireland’,” he said.
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“That has ramifications and as Prime Minister I have to take them into account as well.
“I have always tried to be proportionate and balanced in everything I have done through this crisis and I will continue to do so.”
Last night, Sinn Féin Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill tweeted: “We are facing a very serious situation.
“There is no time to waste (sic) in agreeing to a travel ban from Great Britain. Belfast and Dublin must act together to keep everyone on this island safe. “
The leader of her party, Mary Lou McDonald, tweeted an identical message.
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