A Derry bus company has been forced to cancel a shopping tour to Dublin amid anger over Covid-19 risks.
GD Tours, which operates from Dungiven, has backtracked on an advertised trip to Dundrum Shopping Centre next week after Northern Ireland’s new restrictions come into force.
A post on the company’s Facebook page read: “With shops closing in the North tomorrow at 12 midnight. The South is reopening on the Monday 30th – let’s get seats sold and have a relaxing day to the biggest shopping centre in Ireland!”
The post, which has now been deleted, sparked serious concerns on both sides of the border, with Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond blasting the trip as “utterly irresponsible” and something that “flies in the face of Covid guidelines”.
An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the legalities of the trip would be examined and while Ireland is in Level 5, plans for Level 3 next week will also not permit inter-county travel of a non-essential nature.
GD Tours have today announced that they have cancelled the trip after “double checking travel restrictions”.
Tour cancelled and post removed. Many thanks to @DundrumTC for engaging on this matter so swiftly despite no fault on their part, don’t forget to shop local this Christmas. https://t.co/ST9WCArlZk
— Neale Richmond (@nealerichmond) November 26, 2020
Commenting on the turnaround, Deputy Richmond said: “Relieved to see this crazy tour has been cancelled & the post removed. Unbelievable to think someone thought it was in order to organise such a breach of the COVID-19 regulations.”
Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has confirmed a further eight Covid-19 deaths and 442 new cases, including 51 cases in the Derry City/Strabane region.
