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The new Covid-19 restrictions for parts of Northern Ireland, including Belfast and Ballymena, have caused “confusion,” said MPs from the affected areas.
DUP MP Ian Paisley, whose North Antrim constituency includes Ballymena, said he was “completely dissatisfied” and “very disappointed” by the new rules.
“We cannot close our country because of Covid,” Paisley said.
South Belfast MP Claire Hanna said she supported measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, but called for more clarity.
“It is very, very important that we be clear with people because even people who are trying, with the best will in the world, to participate, get confused by some of the messages,” added Ms. Hanna.
What do the new rules say?
People living in the Belfast council area, Ballymena city and postcode areas BT43, BT28 and BT29 have been advised not to take non-essential travel outside of the affected areas.
There are also new social restrictions: residents in these areas cannot visit other homes, although there are a number of exceptions under which home visits are allowed.
The exceptions include:
- Those in a social bubble with another home
- Those with caregiving responsibilities, including childcare
- Essential maintenance
- Supported living arrangements
- Visits required for legal or medical reasons
- Marriage or civil partnerships where a person has a terminal illness
Hospitals and residences in the affected areas will also be advised to limit the number of visitors, and a family member will be allowed to visit once a week.
Meetings in private gardens will be limited to six people or fewer, from no more than two households.
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The localized restrictions were announced by Northern Ireland’s prime ministers and deputy prime ministers at a joint press conference on Thursday.
Prime Minister Arlene Foster said “the villain is not in business where the number of clients is regulated.”
“It’s in our houses, it’s the house party, it’s dinner, it’s the few people who come to have a drink or coffee,” he added.
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Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill gave their first press conference together in more than two months
Speaking on the BBC’s The View program a few hours later, his colleague from the DUP, Mr Paisley, said: “We are not clear.
“We don’t know if there will be compensation payments. We don’t know if people can get in and out of their urban centers.
“I sit in a downtown management group; this has completely taken them by surprise and they don’t know what is happening.”
Ms Hanna said on the same show that ministers were acting in “good faith” and that there was “no easy way” to introduce complex regulations at a time when the public was “very tired” of Covid restrictions.
“It is important that we refine them and that all the information is available so that people know if they can get in and out of work and the support packages that will be there because this will still affect some companies,” he said. .
“Are we saying you can open, but your customers are being told they are at an access point? Will there be support?”
Reaction: ‘It’s as if the lights have gone out again’
For many residents of the areas affected by the new restrictions, the announcement caused some confusion.
“It’s understandable that they have to implement these measures, but initially we thought it was very confusing,” said Stephanie Degnan, who lives in the BT28 zip code.
Another resident, Graeme Kelly, said the measures were “very unclear,” while Jacqueline Montgomery said she was dismayed by the reintroduction of the restrictions after a period of easing.
Jacqueline Montgomery said she was disappointed that restrictions were reintroduced
“I think the confinement has had a massive influence on people’s mental health and just when you thought we would come out of the dark side into the light … the lights went out again.”
Read more about people’s reactions to the ad here.
The prime minister and deputy prime minister outlined the restrictions while conducting their first joint press conference in Stormont for 73 days.
They had stopped sharing a platform after the controversy surrounding Ms O’Neill’s attendance at a funeral in June, despite Covid-19 restrictions.
Ms. Hanna said she believed her message came out “a bit confusing” and speculated that it might have been rushed due to expectations that the couple would attend a “reunion” press conference.
“Ultimately, we have to disrupt the transmission chains and that is what the executive is trying to do and I think we are all behind them to do it,” added the SDLP MP.
Mr. Paisley agreed that ministers currently face their “most difficult” challenge in trying to find a “middle line” where they can protect public health and the economy.
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“It leaves us in a position where half the country is still completely skeptical about Covid, which is wrong, and the other half of the community is still concerned about Covid, which is also an overreaction,” he said.
South Belfast MLA Paula Bradshaw, who sits on the health committee, said the committee will “delve into the details” of the health protection amendments next week, but called for more clarity from the executive office in the meantime.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster program, he said executive ministers should appear before the assembly next week to allow the MLAs “to ask for the details of what these mean in practice.”
“What they were implying was that you don’t leave your house unless it’s really necessary.
“In my South Belfast constituency, there could be eight or nine people in a single house in Holyland. Do they need to travel to see their parents on the weekend?”
‘Stop domestic broadcasts’
However, Ms. Bradshaw admitted that the executive office was dealing with “a very difficult balancing act.”
Conor Bamford, a virologist at Queen’s University, said the local closures announced by the executive are expected to “help prevent the spread of the virus within homes.”
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Dr Bamford said that “the spirit of these rules is to stop domestic broadcasts.”
He added that the increase in cases among young people has caused a “real fear” that it could spread to more vulnerable populations.
“Parties and social gatherings are a good place to spread the virus and this is where [the executive] they’re aiming. “
