CMO - "highly likely" the new Covid variant will spread to Northern Ireland

Q Radio News

Chief Medical Officer Sir Michael McBride says it's highly likely the new Covid variant identified in Africa will spread to Northern Ireland.

Sir Michael is calling the emergence of Omicron a serious and concerning development following extreme pressures already faced during the pandemic.

The Department of Health here is to align with the rest of the UK on PCR testing and self-isolation requirements for new arrivals from southern Africa.

Covid variant update @healthdpt

CMO Sir Michael McBride: “The emergence of the omicron variant is serious and concerning. Whilst it is highly likely there will be cases of the variant in NI at some point it is essential that preventative measures are taken."

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Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Sir Michael McBride

The exemption of the common travel area from new Covid-19 restrictions against the Omicron variant has been welcomed.

New tougher measures including PCR testing will be introduced for arrivals to the UK from Tuesday morning.

All contacts with a suspected case of Omicron will have to isolate for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status, amid concerns existing jabs will be less effective against the strain that is believed to spread rapidly.

However, this will not apply to the common travel area (CTA), which covers Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney welcomed the move and clarified that travellers from Ireland to the UK will not be affected by the measures against the new Covid-19 variant.

On Saturday the Irish Department of Health announced its own measures to mitigate against Omicron, including mandatory home quarantine regardless of vaccine status.

Visa requirements have been updated and the advisory to avoid non-essential travel has been applied to those countries concerned, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Returning Irish residents will be required to undergo strict home quarantine regardless of vaccine/recovery/test status, and undergo PCR testing during quarantine.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney