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Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he would not support restrictions on cross-border travel.<\/p>\nMinister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he would not support restrictions on cross-border travel.<\/p>\n
Mr Donnelly said he did not think the Covid-19 situation in border counties currently warranted the measure.<\/p>\n
Last week, the North’s Health Minister Robin Swann wrote to Mr Donnelly calling for a halt to non-essential cross-border travel, insisting it should be done \u201cby enforcement if required\u201d.<\/p>\n
The letter was written after recent surges in infection numbers in Donegal and across the border in the Derry city and Strabane council area.<\/p>\n
Mr Donnelly said the spikes in Donegal were largely confined to two specific electoral areas and he said the infection rates were now on a downward trajectory again.<\/p>\n
From Monday, a lockdown restriction preventing non-essential travel between counties will lift in the Republic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an open border, a very open border on the island,\u201d Mr Donnelly told RT\u00c9 Radio One.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to see that change, the Irish Government does not want to see that change. I believe that the island is doing very well, both north and south, at the moment and actually Donegal is doing quite well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Donnelly said a formal response to Mr Swann was still being formulated by his officials. He said he would also be speaking with his northern counterpart next week about the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a conversation we\u2019ll have at government and obviously I\u2019ll discuss it directly with Minister Swann,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy own view right now is that the epidemiological situation wouldn\u2019t warrant that, we are opening up to inter-county travel, we are not changing that tomorrow certainly.\u201d<\/p>\n