Coronavirus: Stormont’s second minister isolates himself on Covid-19

The minister of communities has confirmed that she will isolate herself for two weeks after a close relative tested positive for Covid-19.

Carál Ní Chuilín said that he had informed the President of the Northern Ireland Executive that he would work remotely.

Vice Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill also isolates herself after a relative tested positive for Covid-19.

It comes as the Health Department reported 1,066 new cases, with one more death.

This is the second highest daily number of cases reported in Northern Ireland, after 1,080 positive cases were recorded on Friday.

There are now 137 inpatients with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland hospitals, 19 of whom are in intensive care.

The latest figures show that 5,909 people tested positive in the last seven days.

‘Alarming increase’

Sinn Féin Vice President Ms O’Neill said she will “continue to isolate herself” after testing negative for Covid.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, Ms. Ní Chuilín said that she would be “fulfilling my responsibilities.”

• How would a circuit breaker work for NI?

Meanwhile, South Down MP Chris Hazzard said the “alarming rise in infections” was “concentrating the minds” of ministers at the Executive table.

He said he believed the lockdown issue would be considered by the Northern Ireland Executive on Monday and said collective action was needed this week.

“I think there was a logic and a sense for the local closures at the same time, but I think we are now moving into an area where we should be looking at a more general closure once again,” he said.

“More general rigorous and robust methods to be able to suppress this virus”.

Hazzard told BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Politics program that health should come first.

“There is no strong economy without strong public health,” he said.

The Republic’s European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrne said the Irish government “is clearly considering” a circuit breaker.

Speaking on the same program, he said that a closer alignment between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was needed regarding this discussion.

Byrne said that Taoiseach Michéal Martin was working closely with Prime Minister Arlene Foster, Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“I think you will find that it will intensify even more in the coming days,” he said.

“I think it’s really important because we are in a public health crisis.

“NI is ahead of the Republic of Ireland at the moment, but clearly our track record in numbers is not great either.

“This island should be treated as a single epidemiological unit at this time, our public health problems are much more important than any other consideration.”

Byrne said Ireland’s advice on essential travel was clear: “If you’re in Dundalk, we don’t want you to go to Castleblaney and we don’t want you to go to Newry, and obviously the advice is valid in every way.

“If you’re in Donegal, don’t go to Derry, but don’t go to Leitrim either.”

QUB virologist Dr. Lindsay Broadbent said the “big jump” in Covid-19 hospital admissions in the last week “means it’s time to do something.”

“That’s what’s really worrying. We can watch the case numbers, that’s part of it,” Stephen Raney told BBC Radio Ulster.

“The most important thing we have to watch is how many people are in the hospital.” Hospital admissions are what follows that surge in deaths, and that’s really what we’re trying to prevent. “