16 deaths and 439 cases confirmed in the North as O'Neill calls for travel bans

Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill has called for a legal ban on non-essential journeys across the island of Ireland.

There are 439 new cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland and another 16 patients have died with the virus.

Nearly 2,800 people were tested in the space of 24 hours, with a 16% positivity rate.

Of the deaths reported today, 12 took place this week but the other four did not.

Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill has called for a legal ban on non-essential journeys across the island of Ireland.

Ms O’Neill said the measure should be accompanied by a ban on travel between the island and Great Britain.

She expressed regret that ministers had not supported her party’s proposal for a GB travel ban at Monday night’s executive meeting.

She also called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to work with the Stormont Executive on a joined-up approach to prohibiting non-essential journeys through the island.

“We needed to have urgent and immediate action, Sinn Féin proposed that there’d be an outright travel ban from Britain at the executive meeting last night and that didn’t enjoy the support of the executive,” she said.

“I think that’s very unfortunate, very disappointing, particularly given the threat that is now posed because of this new strain, this new virus.” 

Ms O’Neill told media in Coalisland that the region was an “outlier”, given steps to ban travel in other European countries.

“Here we are on the island of Ireland, where one part of the island is shut down to travel and then another part is not,” she added.

“And I just think that’s not a good position for us to be in, we’re in a very dangerous position.”