After it was announced Donegal was to be moved to Level 3 of the south’s Covid restrictions system last Thursday night, An Garda Siochana announced on Friday it was resuming ‘Operation Fanacht’, which focused on ensuring public compliance with the first Covid lockdown. Part of this operation includes random spot checkpoints along the border, and over the weekend such checkpoints were already in operation in areas such as Pettigo. 

The fresh restrictions in Donegal, which are set to last three weeks, limit the number of people gathering both indoors and outdoors. 

They also prevent people from either travelling in or out of the county, unless they have an essential reason such as work, and gardai have been patrolling the border.

With numbers also rising in the Derry and Strabane area, as well as in Fermanagh albeit at a much slower rate, the chief medical officers both north and south held an emergency meeting on Friday. 

In a statement release afterwards, Dr Michael McBride and Dr Ronan Glynn said: “Given the current number of new cases in Donegal and neighbouring areas of Northern Ireland in Derry, Strabane and Fermanagh we would appeal to everyone to avoid all but necessary travel across the border.” 

Worryingly for people living in local border areas of Monaghan and Cavan, the statement stressed their guidance didn’t just apply to those crossing the border into Donegal but “also in other areas along the border where the profile of the disease continues to evolve.”

South Donegal Cllr Micheal McMahon, who is originally from Belleek, called for the cooperation seen between the two chief medical officers last week should be continued and expanded on by both authorities. 

“Once again I think that the Executive Health Department and the Dublin Health Department should sit down together every week. I have been saying this for quite a while to take this further,” he told the Herald. 

Clones Cllr Pat Treanor said it was “a good sign” the chief medical officers had been working together, but said the often differing advice on either side of the border was leading to some confusion. 

“It is strange we have an animal health strategy on the island of Ireland and that was brought about for similar reasons as why we should have a human health strategy.”