Covid-19: Stormont Executive meeting over new coronavirus variant

The Stormont Executive is meeting to discuss the coronavirus variant and Christmas rules.

Four of the five main Stormont parties had asked for an urgent executive meeting following the tightening of restrictions in the rest of the UK.

The executive is discussing a paper from Health Minister Robin Swann which looks at Christmas and travel restrictions, as well as schools.

Another 13 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in NI on Sunday.

The Department of Health's death toll is 1,196. There were also a further 505 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed.

The World Health Organisation is in "close contact" with the UK government after a mutation of the virus was detected in England.

Large parts of south-east England, including London, are now under a new, stricter level of restrictions in a bid to stop the spread of this more transmissible variant of coronavirus.

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It is understood the health minister has also called for further development by the executive to strengthen the "stay at home" messaging and give it legal force.

BBC News NI also understands that Sinn Féin have proposed prohibiting travel from Great Britain into Northern Ireland and has said it should be a matter of priority.

The DUP's position is that anyone living in the most affected areas have been placed under Tier 4 restrictions and would not be allowed to travel anyway under those rules.

On Sunday Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance sent a joint letter to the first and deputy first ministers asking to meet.

In the letter, the parties said they must satisfy themselves that the regulations and restrictions over Christmas and the six-week lockdown from 26 December are "sufficiently robust" to safeguard public health.

It is understood health minister and UUP member Robin Swann sent a separate letter with similar concerns.

'Astonishing'

The planned relaxation of Covid-19 rules in England, Scotland and Wales already been cut from five days to just one.

But there is currently no change to Christmas restrictions in NI.

A new six-week lockdown in Northern Ireland is coming into force at 00:01 GMT on 26 December.

On Friday, Education Minister Peter Weir announced that schools would reopen as normal in January.

There is no current evidence to suggest that the new variant is affected any differently by vaccines

Heath officials have said Northern Ireland is unlikely to avoid the new variant of coronavirus.

Dr Gerry Waldron, from the Public Health Agency, told BBC Radio Ulster's Steven Rainey show that it would be "absolutely astonishing" if there were not already cases of it here.

But he added he was not aware of any cases currently.

Dr Waldron said: "I think the important thing to remember about new strains of the virus is that all viruses will produce new strains from time to time, it's part of the evolutionary process of the virus.

"I don't think we should get to hung up on the fact that there is another strain, it doesn't change how we respond to Covid-19."