EXECUTIVE ministers held an emergency meeting late last night to discuss possible changes to the north's Christmas restrictions as a new "out of control" Covid strain sweeps across Britain.
The Republic, France, Germany and several other European countries have banned all travel from Britain after it emerged the UK is at the centre of the new strain.
The strain is up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the original, prime minister Boris Johnson said.
Health officials have warned it would be "absolutely astonishing" if the variant had not already arrived in Northern Ireland.
British health secretary Matt Hancock said: "The new variant is out of control and we need to bring it under control."
Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party and the SDLP issued a joint request for the executive to convene yesterday. It is understood UUP health minister Robin Swann also sent a separate letter.
It is understood that the modelling of the virus's potential spread in the north has not changed since the Executive announced last week it would introduce a tough six-week lockdown from St Stephen's Day.
The snap meeting came as:
:: A further 17 deaths were recorded - 13 in the north and four in the Republic
:: Unions rounded on the education minister for asking primary schools to save January's transfer tests
:: Catholic church officials laid out plans for Christmas services
:: Loganair announced it was pulling all flights between Belfast and Scotland until February
The ban on travel between the Republic and Britain is expected to be reviewed during an Irish cabinet meeting tomorrow but it is understood it will be extended beyond then.
The Republic's transport minister Eamon Ryan added that ferries would only operate for freight.
"We need haulage coming in to keep our shelves full but other passengers will be restricted," he said.
"I talked to the UK minister this morning and have been talking throughout the day with the taoiseach (Micheal Martin) and the tanaiste (Leo Varadkar), the health minister, foreign affairs minister and others involved. We have to do this because the UK government themselves has put in place very strict restrictions on movements.
"This new strain of coronavirus, which they have identified, seems to have a much higher transmission rate."
Earlier, executive ministers said Christmas celebrations should be cut to just one day, as the north heads towards stringent new lockdown measures.
Under Northern Ireland's Christmas restrictions, three households can meet from December 23 to 27.
Although the restrictions had not changed by last night, several ministers urged people to re-think their plans and "to now consider limiting their coming together to Christmas Day only".
