ALLIANCE'S health spokeswoman Paula Bradshaw yesterday cancelled a planned family holiday to Italy just hours after defending her decision to travel.
Party sources have insisted that the South Belfast MLA was not pressurised by the Alliance leadership ahead of her u-turn.
Ms Bradshaw, whose husband Ian James Parsley works as her part-time parliamentary officer, had planned to fly from Dublin to Italy on Saturday.
The Stormont executive's coronavirus guidance is not to travel abroad unless it is essential.
Health committee member Ms Bradshaw, who is also assembly private secretary to her party leader Naomi Long, initially said yesterday that she intended to proceed with the all-inclusive family holiday having weighed up the guidance that was in place.
However, by mid-morning she had reversed the decision.
“Like many people, I have a holiday booked – in my case to Italy," she said in statement.
"I should be clear when I said I would operate within the guidance, that obviously includes not travelling if the regulations and guidance at the time state I should not do so. That is currently the case."
The Alliance MLA said it was important that "everyone, particularly in representative roles" adhered to the spirit and letter of that guidance.
She had earlier defended her decision to go on holiday, telling RTÉ’s Morning Ireland the guidance was “advice, it’s not something that we’re mandated to do”.
"I am not breaking any law and I'm not trying to be disrespectful of the work of anybody during this pandemic to keep it under control," she said.
"In many ways I've tried to play an active part, so we're just going to proceed on that basis."
The episode unfolded as First Minister Arlene Foster said she would not tell people whether they should go ahead with holidays or not, insisting it was a matter for their own judgment.
On a visit to Ballymena on Monday, Mrs Foster said it was not for her to tell people whether they should proceed with foreign holidays.
She noted there were around 60 countries on Northern Ireland's green list and people travelling to and from those destinations would not have to self-isolate when they land in the region.
"It's not up to me to tell people should they go or should they not go," Mrs Foster told the Press Association.
"If they have booked a holiday and they (the destination) are on the green or amber list then they can go without having to quarantine when they come back – whether they go or not is entirely a matter for their own judgment."
Mrs Foster said Stormont officials were looking to "tidy up" the coronavirus regulations to keep them in line with recent decisions taken by the eecutive.
