Sinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland has said there should be an all-island ban on non-essential travel to combat the potential spread of the new variant of Coronavirus.
The party proposed a ban on travel between Britain and Northern Ireland at a special meeting of the Stormont Executive last night.
The move was supported by the SDLP, but the DUP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance Party voted against. Unionists have accused the party of playing politics and said it was illogical to attempt to ban travel from Britain while not banning it from the Republic of Ireland.
It comes as a further 16 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health has said the death toll recorded by the department now stands at 1,219.
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