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The Taoiseach said his Government and the Northern Ireland Executive share the same goal on tackling Covid-19 but they differ on timing.<\/p>\nThe Taoiseach said his Government and the Northern Ireland Executive share the same goal on tackling Covid-19 but they differ on timing.<\/p>\n
His comments come as five new positive cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the North bringing the total number of cases to 34.<\/p>\n
The Department of Health said people with mild symptoms \u2013 new persistent cough and\/or fever \u2013 should stay at home and self-isolate for seven days. They will not require testing.<\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar has said Covid-19 is an illness \u201cthat knows no borders\u201d as administrations on either side of the border follow different strategies.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said: \u201cThis virus knows no borders, no nationality. It is a problem for all of us. Our response to it is made more difficult as we do have two jurisdictions on this island.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are more than 100 cases of Covid-19 on the island of Ireland but differences have emerged as schools in the Republic have closed and public gatherings have been curtailed.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland\u2019s administration has not introduced the same measures, although Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said schools should be shut.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said: \u201cThere will be differences of approach over the next few weeks and months, we are different jurisdictions and there are differences and there will be differences, but the differences that exist are mostly around timing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat there isn\u2019t any difference about is our common objective, which is to slow down this virus in its tracks and push it back as much as possible and limit the harm to human health and human life.\u201d<\/p>\n
It comes as Stormont Education Minister Peter Weir has insisted it remains the wrong time to close schools in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Mr Weir was responding after Archbishop Eamon Martin, wrote to urge him to consider closing schools and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said schools should close.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Armagh today, Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said schools in Northern Ireland will close when \u201cthe timing is right\u201d and parents should prepare as they may close for several months.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWe will take that action when it is the right time to do it. There are two different jurisdictions on this island.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools will not be closed immediately but schools and parents should prepare because when they do they will close for at least 16 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about the different approaches being taken on the island, she said: \u201cIn terms of the co-operation I don\u2019t think the co-operation could be any better between our chief medical officers, between our ministers of health and between the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill repeated a call she made on Friday that Northern Ireland should follow the Republic\u2019s lead and close schools.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cPeople are taking decisions in advance of government and my own personal opinion is that schools should close now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the fact that you can have two schools a mile apart and one school\u2019s open and one school\u2019s closed, that\u2019s a very confusing picture and a very confusing message for the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster said both governments had \u201cvery coherent messages\u201d and that Stormont is taking advice from the Public Health Agency and the chief medical officer on when was the appropriate time to shut schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two different jurisdictions on this island and we may do things differently in terms of timing, but the tools are all the same in terms of what we are going to do to try and combat this virus,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald, who was not at the meeting, said the UK\u2019s response to coronavirus \u201cshould be rejected\u201d and is \u201ctotally unacceptable in the north of Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n