Slow vaccination drive in the Republic could affect Northern Ireland reopening

Northern Ireland leaders have said they will consult with medical advisers over plans to reopen society in light of the slower vaccine rollout in the Republic.

The vaccination programme in Northern Ireland passed 800,000 doses this week, around 45% of the population.

That compares with around 13.2% who have been vaccinated in the South, where the rollout has been slower and the population is much larger.

This has led to concerns over travel between the two jurisdictions if Northern Ireland begins to lift restrictions before a majority of people in the Republic have been inoculated.

Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said: "Well this is something we will take advice from our medical advisers on.

"He has been very clear in the past that if people without the vaccine come into contact with people who have the vaccine and they have Covid-19, then it can actually damage the efficacy of the vaccine.

"So we need to be very clear as to what happens when most of our population is vaccinated, if it is still the case that the Republic of Ireland is further behind.

"We will of course be looking at these issues as they come before us."

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "Clearly, the 26 counties are further behind in terms of the vaccine but it's not a competition. We need to support each other.

"We need to work together, and we need to share our vaccines where we can, and we need to just continually work together to fight this pandemic across these islands.

"I think the more co-operation we can have, the more successful we'll be and the quicker we'll get to the other side of it."

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland is set to adopt the UK's coronavirus red list of countries, Ms Foster said.
Brazil and South Africa are on the current red list of countries from which entry to the UK is banned.
The Stormont Executive also heard that work is ongoing on hotel quarantine plans for travellers arriving from abroad.
There are currently no flights landing in Northern Ireland from outside the UK.
Mrs Foster welcomed "improvements across all indicators", in terms of Covid-19.
The R-rate for cases of the virus is currently estimated at between 0.75 and 0.95.
"I'm heartened to see our shared efforts are working because that means that more lives are being saved," she said.
Ms O'Neill welcomed a second consecutive day of no further coronavirus deaths as a "welcome sign we are continuing to move in the right direction".
Ms O'Neill said international travel was discussed in some detail by the Executive.
"This is a fundamental concern for us all as we seek to manage the risks that are arising from the new variants and in line with the scientific and medical advice, we have agreed the introduction of managed isolation and hotel accommodation on return from red list countries for a period of 10 days to be pre-booked before arrival here," she said.
"This will be kept under review and our arrangements for managed hotel isolation will be flexible to enable a broader approach on international travel to be put in place should the need arise."
Ireland’s long-awaited hotel quarantine regime begins on Friday, although only travellers from a list of specified countries, and those without a negative PCR test, have to quarantine in a hotel.

PA Media