People in Donegal could be told not to travel to Derry due to Covid-19 rate

The Irish government is understood to be considering telling people not to travel to Northern Ireland from next week, due to the high Covid-19 rate in the North.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told his party colleagues last night the measure may be introduced, but no final decision has been made.

The Irish cabinet's sub-committee on Covid-19 will meet this evening to finalise plans to exit level five next week, ahead of an announcement tomorrow.

It's believed shops, gyms and hairdressers will be the first to reopen, with restaurants and hotels expected to follow.

Meanwhile, non-essential shops in Northern Ireland will close for two weeks from tomorrow as part of the latest lockdown here.