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Coronavirus pandemic
image copyrightBBC news
Top medical advisers from both sides of the border will meet later to discuss how to curb travel between Northern Ireland and County Donegal.
It comes as the strictest Covid-19 restrictions go into effect in the county of Ireland.
Level three restrictions will take effect at midnight and are in effect until October 16.
That means that no one can leave or enter the county if it is not for essential reasons.
Northern Ireland Medical Director Dr. Michael McBride and Republic of Ireland Acting Medical Director Dr. Ronan Glyn will meet via video link on Friday morning.
Public health officials will discuss increasing Covid-19 incidence rates in County Donegal and how to restrict travel across the border.
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin and Northern Ireland Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers discussed the new restrictions in the county in a telephone conversation Thursday evening.
Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill also detailed the virus challenges Northern Ireland currently faces.
They agreed to cooperate as much as possible on the island of Ireland to control the rising levels of Covid-19.
Rapidly increasing case load
Donegal now has the highest rate of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland.
“Between the start of the Covid crisis and September 10 in Lifford we had 17 positive cases of Covid. Since then, until yesterday, we have had another 54,” he said.
Most of the new cases are under 35 years old, he added.
image copyrightfake imagesDr Coyne said that restricting movement between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is “probably a good idea.”
“The virus does not see the border, the virus moves south, it moves north,” he added.
Derry and Strabane Mayor Brian Tierney has called on people on the north side of the border to abide by the new restrictions in the county.
“The guideline now in Donegal is that if you are in the county you should stay there unless traveling for education, work or essential travel.
“That also means you are not allowed into Donegal unless it is for essential business, people in Derry and Strabane have to stick to that,” he said.
It is vital that people do everything possible to “stop the spread of this disease,” he added.
The stricter restrictions mean that people are again asked to work from home whenever possible and only take essential trips on public transport.
Visitors to private homes and gardens should be limited to a maximum of six people from another home.
There will be no meetings organized indoors and outdoor meetings must have a maximum of 15 people.
Peter McLaughlin is a former mayor of Buncrana and a pub owner in the city.
He said it is difficult to understand what is behind the recent increase in the region, but people in Donegal will support the new measures.
“The government has a decision to make, based on the general population and that is the biggest concern. If this is what they have to do, we will accept it.”
“There is a certain level of fatigue, but people are very aware of what they have to do,” he said.
The 14-day incidence of the disease in the county has risen to 122.5 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents.
This represents a 106.2 increase on Wednesday, the steepest jump recorded by any county in the country.
