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Donegal remains at risk of living under higher levels of restrictions than other counties at Christmas despite moves to extend Covid-19 restrictions in Northern Ireland.
Cross-border traffic has been cited as one of the contributing factors to Donegal’s high rate.
The Stormont executive will extend his circuit breaker for another week, but some areas of the hotel sector will partially reopen next Friday in the north.
The Republic will remain in a stricter Level 5 lockdown until early December and the fear is that there will be a return to cross-border shopping from various counties as families head north, where there is a greater selection of stores open.
At level 5, people should not go beyond 5 km except for essential reasons.
Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said yesterday that Donegal is an outlier, with a 14-day Covid incidence rate of 282 per 100,000 compared to a national average of 135 per 100,000.
When asked if Donegal will have to remain on lockdown during December, he said there is still time for “significant improvements.”
Speaking at the Dail, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar dismissed a TD’s suggestions that the Army should be sent to the Border to isolate the Covid-struck Republic of Northern Ireland.
Crossings from the north “will cause serious problems,” warned Louth’s independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick, who is a former member of Fine Gael. “We must do something about it.”
The Democratic Unionist Party and the ministers of smaller parties of the administration of distribution of the power backed the proposal of the minister of Economy, Diane Dodds.
Sinn Féin voted against and the nationalist SDLP abstained after days of disputes that have left companies in limbo.
The partial reopening of the hospitality sector in the north next Friday will include close contact services, including hairdressing, beauty treatments and driving lessons, and will resume on November 20 by appointment only.
While unlicensed venues, including cafes and coffee shops, will reopen on November 20, there will be restricted opening hours at 8pm and alcohol may not be consumed in these venues.
All other hospitality sections that have been closed during the break will open on November 27. Pubs and bars will be able to sell the closed sales from November 20.
A Sinn Féin source said the party voted against the proposals because it went against the guidance of Stormont’s scientific and medical advisers to extend the entire outage for two weeks.
Northern Health Minister Robin Swann is understood to have backed the proposal as a way to prevent all regulations from expiring at midnight on Friday.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: “Today the Executive agreed to a two-week extension of the regulations with the opening of coffee shops, cafes and close contact services a week earlier.
“While the SDLP was pleased that the additional financial support that we have been lobbying for was also agreed upon, SDLP Minister Nichola Mallon abstained from voting, as she could not conscientiously support the measures that fell short of to protect us against the imposition of more restrictions just before Christmas, even two weeks would have risked that. “
Irish independent
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