Chief Medical Officers to meet to discuss cross border travel
The chief medical advisors on both sides of the border are meeting later today to discuss how to reduce non-essential travel between Northern Ireland and County Donegal.
This is needed after tighter Covid-19 restrictions were put in place in the Irish county. Level three restrictions will be put in place at midnight tonight and will last at least until October 16th.
The restrictions mean that no-one can enter or exit the county except for essential reasons. County Donegal has the highest rate of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland, and Derry and Strabane have the highest rates in Northern Ireland.
The Taoiseach, Michael Martin, spoke at Government Buildings yesterday saying that, “I wish I was bringing better news this evening. That said, we can, and we will get through this.”
Brian Tierney, the Mayor of Derry and Strabane, urged his constituents to respect the new restrictions on the other side of the border. “The guidance now in Donegal is that if you are in the county you have got to stay there unless you are travelling for education, work or essential travel. That also means you are not allowed into Donegal unless for essential business, people in Derry and Strabane need to stick to that,”
Under the new restrictions, pubs in County Donegal will be allowed to stay open but they will only be able to serve 15 people at a time and only if they are outdoors.
Restaurants and cafes can stay open for takeaway and delivery services and again, they can serve up to 15 people at once if they are outside.
There will be no organised indoor gatherings and outdoor gatherings will be limited to 15 people.
The 14-day incidence of the disease in Donegal has risen to 122.5 confirmed cases per 100,000 people. This is the sharpest increase in any county in the country.
