Executive could order lockdowns in Belfast and parts of Co Antrim
BELFAST and towns such as Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus are facing potential lockdowns as health experts fight to contain Covid-19 hotspots.
The Executive is due to meet today to discuss a strategy to stop the number of people being diagnosed with coronavirus from spiralling out of control.
Stormont officials were in discussions with councils last night, with final decisions on measures expected to go down to the wire.
Health Minister Robin Swann and two of his top officials, the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief scientific advisor (CSA), have all warned that local lockdowns are potential tools in the arsenal to suppress the virus.
While they have refused to state which areas are under the spotlight, official figures highlight Belfast, mid and east Antrim and Antrim and Newtownabbey as the council areas with the highest rates of infection. Mid and east Antrim, which takes in Carrickfergus, Larne and Ballymena, has recorded 80 cases in the last seven days.
Seventy-two people in Belfast have been diagnosed over the week, while the number of positive cases in Antrim and Newtownabbey in the same period stood at 37 yesterday afternoon.
The figures have raised speculation that at some parts of the council areas may be subject to local lockdowns.
The news comes as a restaurant in Ballymena finds itself caught up in the town’s outbreak.
Gatto’s Ristorante said it was informed on Monday morning that a casual kitchen porter had tested positive. All other employees have since tested negative.
The restaurant said the Public Health Agency had advised that customers did not need to be tested and that, following a deep clean of the premises, it had been given the green light to reopen.
It comes as CMO Dr Michael Mcbride and CSA Professor Ian Young are due to advise Executive ministers today on potential fresh Covid-19 restrictions.
They have said that regional measures, such as restricting family gatherings, were possibilities in addition to lockdowns.
The Executive is also due to consider the introduction of mechanisms that would enable a swift response to spikes in cases, according to Prof Young.
Both Prof Young and Dr Mcbride said they had not been able to identify patterns revealing sources of infection. They said the absence of such evidence was making it more difficult to decide which restrictions would be most successful in fighting the virus.
The Department of Health was asked to provide assurances that recommendations to be brought before the Executive today were likely to be effective.
“It was also asked whether there were any concerns that the public would not adhere to fresh restrictions.
Meanwhile, Mr Swann refused to lift the threat of a full lockdown in the future.
“I won’t rule that out because the combination of flu and Covid-19 is something that will have a dramatic effect on us,” the Health Minister explained.
“I hope we don’t have to get there. If people act responsibly now, we can arrest this spread of Covid-19 so we don’t have to get into the place where we need the full lockdown again. We could look at a series of incremental measures over a period of time that could be enforced or relaxed as we see the spread of Covid-19 either increasing or reducing.
“I sincerely hope that we never get to the position again that we were in at the start of this year because we have put so much work into reducing the spread of Covid-19. That it is too valuable a prize to lose over the next couple of weeks.”
Mr Swann’s position was backed up by Dr Mcbride, who said he would recommend full lockdown if Northern Ireland reached the point of 80 cases per 100,000 head of population.
“The Executive may wish to consider, and we may wish to advise, that we intervene even before that because, obviously, if we intervene at an earlier stage, we can prevent the excesses of some of the measures that we had to introduce before,” he told the BBC.
In a statement, the Department of Health said simple step such as hand washing and wearing face covering “are scientifically proven to make a significant difference”.
“In addition the Health Minister will be asking Executive colleagues later today to consider fresh and concrete actions to prevent further spread of the virus. Working together government and society as a whole have the power, through collective action and a collective spirit, to reverse the advance of this virus,” it said.