Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Could I ask a brief follow-up question for clarity? It is for Professor Staines and Professor Kearney. Do I understand correctly that the zero-Covid approach requires the Republic of Ireland either to seal its borders with the rest of the world, including Northern Ireland, indefinitely until the rest of the world sorts out the Covid problem or the island of Ireland together seals its border with the United Kingdom? I am not an expert on Northern Ireland politics but I think that would be distinctly unpalatable to at least one political tradition in Northern Ireland. Whatever about sealing its borders with the rest of the world, sealing its border with the United Kingdom might be difficult, at the very least.