Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FEARS OF PHA insists household infections to blame for spike
Murphy calls for easing of rules Air omission may cost jobs
FINANCE minister Conor Murphy has joined with his Scottish and Welsh counterparts to urge the UK Government to ease “rigid fiscal rules”.
The Sinn Fein politician, along with Kate Forbes and Rebecca Evans, are making the plea ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s summer statement.
They are calling for assurances that will give them the freedom to switch capital funding to day-to-day revenue and put an end to the arbitrary limits on borrowing.
The ministers are also looking for more clarity on details around the forthcoming spending review.
Mr Murphy said: “More financial flexibility can help us deal with these challenges and use our budgets to support public services.”
NORTHERN Ireland’s “omission” from Westminster’s announced air bridges plan places hundreds of jobs at risk, an airport boss has claimed.
On Friday, the UK Government published a list of 73 countries and territories where English holidaymakers can visit without self-isolating on their return.
However, the policy only applies to England as the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales had not signed off on the plan before it was made public.
Belfast International Airport chief Graham Keddie said: “This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency in order to save jobs and save our connectivity.”
THE Public Health Agency has insisted there are no current coronavirus clusters in Northern Ireland.
It issued a statement yesterday following speculation of clusters in Crossgar and Ballynahinch in Co Down, describing instead “householdrelated infections”.
A cafe and a care home in the locality closed their doors as a precaution, citing an “outbreak of Covid-19 in our area”.
It is understood the virus was detected over three households and had been identified through contact tracing.
The Public Health Agency said: “We are aware of current media speculation regarding an alleged cluster in the Newry, Mourne and Down area. The contact tracing process will identify any potential links between positive cases both within and outside households.
“We have not identified any current clusters other than household-related infections in the Newry, Mourne and Down area.
“With some ongoing community transmission of Covid-19, it is expected that there will be variation in the number of cases detected across geographical areas, and with small numbers of cases, we must be cautious about the significance of these variations.
“PHA will continue to monitor all cases of Covid-19, look for trends and linked cases and where we need to advise or inform the public of any increased risk to public health we will do so in a timely manner.”
In a post on social media, Crossgar business Cafe Q said it had taken the decision to close for sit-in customers for “a few weeks”.
It posted on Facebook: “No one on our staff has been affected and we want them to stay this way and ensure that our customers also remain healthy.”
SDLP South Down MLA Colin Mcgrath urged local people to remain
THE Assembly has passed a motion urging Deputy
First Minister Michelle O’neill to apologise for attending Bobby Storey’s funeral during the pandemic.
Hundreds lined the route of the veteran republican and former IRA member’s cortege in vigilant. He said: “The virus has been a worrying development sweeping across the world and it is concerning to hear that it has spiked in the Crossgar and Ballynahinch area.
“This underscores the need for people to be vigilant and ensure that they are continuing to wash their hands and be observant of social distancing rules.
“While we have had many easements to the regulations that were in place to guide us through this
West Belfast last week. The Assembly’s declaration passed without a vote last night.
DUP Assembly member Christopher Stalford said: “I regret to say that the Deputy First Minister’s credibility is shot to bits.”
The resolution was