NI Coronavirus patient believed to have used public transport to travel from Dublin to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride confirmed one person had tested positive for the illness at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on Thursday evening.

The Public Health Agency has not confirmed how the woman travelled from Dublin airport to Northern Ireland but sources suggest she used public transport.

The woman is believed to have been infected with the disease while visiting the Lombardy region in Northern Italy where 17 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19.

Health authorities in Northern Ireland have started searching for anyone who may have come into contact with the woman in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Health in the Republic of Ireland confirmed on Friday morning that it had traced and notified everyone who came into close contact with the woman.

The woman is believed to have been sent home after testing positive for Covid-19 where she is receiving specialist treatment.

“The Public Health Agency is continuing working with partners across the UK including Public Health England, as well as the Department of Health and health trusts in Northern Ireland, and the health service in the Republic of Ireland, on the ongoing global novel coronavirus response,” said a spokesperson the PHA in Northern Ireland.

Including the confirmed case in Northern Ireland, 19 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the United Kingdom.

Updates to follow.