I want to raise with the Tánaiste the issue of the different approaches being taken on both sides of the Border on the island of Ireland in regard to Covid.

It has been reported in the media today that the Government is considering relaxing the lockdown restrictions after the current period ends and limiting the public to seeing only family members in terms of close contacts over the Christmas period. As the Tánaiste will be aware, the Northern Assembly is deadlocked and playing petty political games in its approach to coping with this deadly virus. My main issue is the fact that a different approach is being taken to the virus on each side of the Border. The effects of this are clear to see.

The infection rate soared in Border counties from Louth to Donegal. In my county of Louth, at one time the rate in the northern part of the county was one of the highest in the country, yet less than 10 km away in the mid-Louth region there were practically no infections, and likewise in the south of the county. That is not a coincidence. The reasons are simple. The fact is that the authorities in the North have taken a different approach and that is causing severe problems for Border counties such as Louth, Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal. During the week a doctor in Donegal stated that the rates along the Border in Donegal, which are the highest in the country, are a direct result of the different approaches taken North and South of the Border.

We in the South have been placed under the most restrictive lockdown in Europe. People have accepted that because they want to get rid of this terrible virus and get their lives back to normal. Many businesspeople have sacrificed their businesses to help in this national effort. The Tánaiste knows as well as I do that many of those businesses will not be in a position to reopen once they are permitted to so do. These people will have effectively sacrificed their livelihoods for the sake of the health of the country. That is why, when I see the North taking a different approach on this issue, I feel for the people and businesses who have made great sacrifices.

How is it that the State has forced certain types of shops and businesses to close but similar shops across the Border remain open? How is it that shops and businesses in Dundalk have been forced to close, yet only 10 km up the road similar shops and businesses can continue to trade? How is it that under the current lockdown restrictions people are not allowed to travel outside their own county or more than 5 km from their home, yet people can travel from the North across the Border with apparent ease and face no fines or penalties? The North still has one of the highest rates of infection in Europe, yet we have no restrictions on travel.

It is plain to see that two different approaches are being taken and we in the South are paying a price for that. The Government has to get real and get a handle on this situation. Action, not words, is needed now. If the Northern Assembly is not capable of working together and taking an approach that keeps not only its citizens, but also people south of the Border, safe then the Government of which the Tánaiste is part needs to act strongly. Surely we cannot expect people and businesses in the South to continue suffering and making significant sacrifices while in the North the Assembly is playing petty political games and is unable to reach an agreement that would make our island a safer place for all citizens. Will the Government consider restricting cross-Border travel on the island of Ireland should the Northern Assembly fail to reach agreement or, indeed, decide to take a different approach from us in the South?

We are making enormous progress here south of the Border. As I stated earlier, the percentage positivity rate was approximately 7% but is now under 4%. The average number of weekly cases is down approximately 1,200 to approximately 400. The numbers in hospital and ICU are a fraction of what they were in the spring and are now stabilising or falling.

The picture in the Border counties is variable. We are concerned about the situation in Donegal. We have not seen a significant fall in the incidence of the virus there, particularly in east Donegal. In the other Border counties, namely, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan, the numbers are good. We need to bear in mind that all Border counties are not the same. However, we need to keep at it and we need to drive the virus down further.

When we ease restrictions, and I think everyone is confident now that we will ease restrictions in December, there will be risks. There will be embers of the virus still out there in the community and, as we gather and meet again, those embers can be fanned. There is the risk of international travel, which was discussed earlier. There is a significant risk associated with cross-Border travel and the virus being brought south by people travelling back and forth across the Border. That is a real risk of which we need to be aware. We need to measure it better. In my view, it is not being measured as well as it ought to be. The 14-day averages in the North show it is at three times our incidence rate and four times our death rate. There is a significant reservoir of infection in Northern Ireland and there is a risk that could spill over into the South. If we ease restrictions in December, it will be a real risk too.

As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland is one country but it is not one state. Obviously, Northern Ireland is a different jurisdiction. That is part of the Good Friday Agreement and we must respect the fact that in Northern Ireland the Executive has decided to adopt a different approach from here and, indeed, from the approaches in England, Wales and Scotland. It is part of the Good Friday Agreement settlement that there is autonomy in Northern Ireland and that the power-sharing Executive there makes decisions for itself as it sees fit. The easing of restrictions in Northern Ireland and how that might impact on the South is something about which the Government is concerned. The fact that things are so much worse in Northern Ireland and the Executive is considering easing restrictions is very much on our risk register. We do have a memorandum of understanding. The CMOs and the health ministers are in contact with each other and the Taoiseach is in contact with the First Minister and deputy First Minister to express our views. We must respect the right of the authorities in Northern Ireland to make their own decisions for their jurisdiction under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

On the question regarding cross-Border travel, the Deputy should bear in mind that the 5 km rule applies. People can cross the Border, but only to go to work, school or college or for necessary reasons such as a medical appointment or to care for a relative or child, for example. There is no other reason for people travelling more than 5 km or across the Border. That is being enforced and I ask people to respect that.

We need to protect our people and businesses. I asked the Taoiseach the exact same question on Tuesday and he basically gave me the same answer, that the Ministers are speaking to each other, as are the chief medical officers. We have a serious issue at the moment. Everything the Tánaiste told me indicates that we need to do something across the Border. I come from Dundalk. What will happen on Friday in the North if they start opening pubs and restaurants? People will travel from the South across the Border and vice versa. That will cause serious problems. We must do something about it.

From Omeath to Cullaville, there are approximately 30 Border crossings. It is impossible to put checkpoints along the Border to stop people crossing it. As an ex-soldier of the 27th Battalion, I think it is about time we started to use the Army. There is a barracks in Dundalk with 450 soldiers. Why not deploy them in Border areas? Donegal is in a serious situation. Louth, Cavan and Monaghan have done a fantastic job over the past three or four weeks. Is that just going to be flushed down the toilet? We have to be realistic. I wish to see a united Ireland, but I do not wish to see a united Ireland right now. At the moment, my first priority is for the citizens of Ireland to be protected. The Government has to protect them.

We are in a second lockdown. The way things are going, there will be a third lockdown. I know and the Tánaiste knows that we do not wish to see a third lockdown. Prevention is the best cure. We have an opportunity to do something. The Government should get the Army out to stop the southerners and the northerners crossing up and down the Border. There is no problem with people who have to travel, but I have seen this situation develop in recent months and I do not like it. The situation is being abused. The freedom to travel is being abused in Border areas such as Omeath and Carlingford by northerners who are coming down to the South.

Thank you, Deputy.

The number of Northern number plates I have seen is unreal. I ask the Tánaiste to do something to protect the citizens of Ireland, please.

The Government is not giving any consideration to putting the Army on the Border between the North and the South. We struggled and fought too hard for too many decades to take all armies off the Border and we certainly do not want to be the jurisdiction that puts uniforms on the Border again. That is not something to which we are giving consideration. The point raised by the Deputy is a serious one. The situation in Northern Ireland is much more serious than the situation here. There is a very significant reservoir of infection in Northern Ireland and people travelling to and from Northern Ireland create a real risk. We need to enforce the 5 km rule, but that is best done by the Garda rather than by military means.