Covid crisis: ‘People can make up their own minds about going on overseas holidays’ says UUP boss

The leader of the UUP has urged potential holidaymakers from Northern Ireland to “decide what they’re going to do themselves” when it comes to international travel.
Steve AikenSteve Aiken
Steve Aiken

Steve Aiken, whose party colleague Robin Swann is the health minister, was asked about the rules and guidelines around international travel during a radio broadcast yesterday morning.

The South Antrim MLA said that while he would not be travelling abroad this year due to coronavirus, he stressed that he is “not going to dictate” to others whether they should fly abroad or not for their holidays.

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Speaking to the Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster, Mr Aiken said: “There’s an issue here with the guidelines and what we’re trying to say is we need to follow the rules and guidelines as closely as we can.

“I, as the leader of a political party, am not going to dictate to people. I want people to use those guidelines and decide what they’re going to do themselves.

“I’m not going on any foreign holidays, none of my MLAs are going on any holidays outside our country, and it is up to people to make their own minds up on this issue.

“The guidelines are there for people to look at them and follow them and if you don’t have a reason to be going (abroad), what I’m saying is, and the decision I am making myself, is I am not going anywhere, but it is up to people themselves.

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“It is up to the people of Northern Ireland to make that decision, that’s what the guidelines are for. If you breach the guidelines, or if you breach the rules and regulations, you are very likely to help increase the spread of the pandemic.”

The UUP leader also highlighted the possible dangers associated with travel on the island of Ireland, in light of the R-rate in the Republic.

In the Republic of Ireland, the estimated R-rate is higher than in Great Britain.

The R-rate, or reproductive rate, is an estimate of how quickly the virus is spreading throughout the population.

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An R-rate of one means one person with the virus is likely to infect one other person.

Public health authorities hope to keep the R-rate below one in order to control the spread of the virus.

In Northern Ireland, the R-rate remains below one.

Mr Aiken said: “One of the things we should be more worried about on this island is the fact that, even this morning, there are direct flights coming from the southern United States into Dublin.

“There doesn’t seem to be any checks and balances and controls there.”