Cllr Denise Mullen: Resistance to Cross Border Cooperation Costly Lives
Aontú Councillor for Mid Ulster Denise Mullen has expressed concern about the spiking levels of Covid-19 in the North and called on the Northern Executive and the Irish government to see once and for all that cross border cooperation is integral to combatting the Covid threat on our shores.
Cllr Mullen: “There were 424 cases announced in the North of Ireland today. Yesterday, it was 320 cases. In the last 8 days, there have been close to 2,200 cases in the North. Proportionate to the population of the six counties this is extremely high. We are seeing outbreaks of cases with wider effect given our population size proportionate to the South. Furthermore, border counties such as Monaghan, Donegal and Louth are seeing exponential increases in cases. An Taoiseach has said we are a shared island, it seems to me we are a shared island on everything but Covid-19. The proof is in the pudding that greater cross border cooperation is needed in this dark hour.
Neither the Northern Executive or the southern government have been speaking to one another to try harmonise the response of the Island of Ireland to fight Covid-19. We are failing to use any of the natural advantages we enjoy as an Island nation in combatting Covid-19. There is no 32 county reporting. It’s as if what goes on in the North does not affect the South, and vice versa, and then we wonder why there are spikes in border counties. There is no app for the entire country or harmonisation of restrictions to ensure a common approach. There has been no discussion to localised lockdowns transcending the border to contain outbreaks to bordering counties. We need to be planning, funding and delivering our response together. I cannot stress enough the need and indeed the benefit of a harmonised 32 county approach to the Coronavirus.
