Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Rosemary Barton believes fines for crossing the Border during the current restrictions should work both ways.

The UUP MLA’s comments come after it was announced by An Garda Síochána at the end of last week that from Monday, February 8, Northern Ireland citizens will be fined €100 if they cross the Border “without reasonable excuse”.

The Impartial Reporter asked two local politicians if they believe this is appropriate action to help curb the spread of Covid-19.

Sinn Féin MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Jemma Dolan commented that no one should be travelling anywhere unless it is “absolutely necessary”.

“The safest thing to do is to stay at home in order to protect yourself, protect your loved ones and protect the health service. That is the same message north and south,” said Miss Dolan, adding: “The realities of life in border areas must also be recognised where people need to cross the Border on a daily basis for essential reasons.”

Commenting that we are “living in unusual times”, Rosemary Barton, UUP MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone said: “This forms the basis of how we live our daily lives and actions that we take, all of our actions should be predicated on helping to reduce the spread of coronavirus and ultimately reducing the number of people admitted to hospital and death.”

“The €100 fine in the Republic of Ireland for those crossing the Border without a reasonable excuse is obviously a method that their authorities believe it worthwhile. Given that the numbers having received the vaccine is significantly lower in the Republic of Ireland per head of population than in Northern Ireland, this measure taken by RoI authorities will not only assist with ROI protection, believing that NI people being a threat of bringing the virus to ROI but will also, and importantly, assist with stopping people going from NI to ROI and then bringing the virus back to NI,” said Mrs. Barton, who went on to say that a similar measure is “certainly something that should be considered by the NI authorities”.

“While such measures as introduced by ROI demonstrate the division between the two jurisdictions, with the ROI currently taking a much stronger approach to the Border than NI are, and the vaccine programme in NI going much quicker than that our neighbours, but that is no reason for any instability, this is part of a difficult period during this pandemic, we should all resolve ourselves to do what is positive and practical to help everyone stay safe,” Mrs. Barton told this newspaper.