NI may need to close border with the south over vaccine differential, Arlene Foster suggests

The First Minister made the comments in a radio interview as she made another appeal for the UK to share surplus vaccines with the Republic of Ireland.

She also stressed that Northern Ireland isn’t “miles off” completing its vaccination programme as she insisted problems with supplies manufactured in India shouldn’t hold back the acceleration of the roll-out on this side of the border.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster on Monday morning, she said: “We have seen the way the Republic of Ireland has been hampered by the European vaccination programme. I have been keeping a close eye and I have been asking medical advisors when it will become an issue. Of course, we now have over 50% of our adult population who have recieved their first dose. We will get to a critical point when it will make a difference. We will then have to take decisions if that gap is not plugged. I can’t tell you what those actions will be because we will, of course, have to take advice in relation to all of that.”

Asked if cross border travel could be “prevented or limited”, the First Minister said: “I think it’s interesting, isn’t it, that the Republic of Ireland’s government has decided to ban cross-border travel over this past year. It hasn’t been us but I think we will have to look at how we move forward if there is a differential. I’m not going to pre-judge that.

“I hope we don’t get to that position because I’m very much aware that there are people who live and work in different parts of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and that would be a great difficulty for those people. It is one of the reasons I am saying ‘let us get to the situation where we help our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland with the vaccine’.”

She said vaccines would likely only be shared “once the UK population has had their second dose”.

The DUP leader said: “It’s not miles away. We are hopeful, I think our Health Minister has said, of receiving a third type of vaccine in the next couple of weeks - the Moderna vaccine.

The UK has taken options on all seven vaccines that have been developed, so obviously those other vaccines are going to come on line in the near future.”

On whether supplies would be constrained following issues with Astra Zeneca vaccines from India, she said: “Patricia Donnelly, who is in charge of the vaccination programme across Northern Ireland, is confident that we will have the supply and we will be able to ramp up the vaccination programme.”

Mrs Foster said that she would be “making the point” about the need to share vaccines with the Irish Republic to the UK Prime Minister again “in the next few days”.