The Northern Executive is meeting this afternoon.
A six week long covid-19 lockdown is being proposed for Northern Ireland by its Health Minister.
The Northern Executive is meeting this afternoon to consider introducing tighter Coronavirus restrictions after Christmas.
Hospitality, retail and leisure facilities could all be shut under plans being proposed by Minister Robin Swann.
It comes as a further 12 covid related deaths have been reported in the North today along with 656 new cases of the disease.
Monaghan GP Dr Illona Duffy feels the lack of an all-island approach has allowed the virus to surge on both sides of the border.
''It's been disappointing all along that there was never been any unity with regards to the restrictions on both sides of the border'', she said.
''And I think if we'd hate that early on, even in the last couple of months, I think we would probably have been able to reduce rates not only in the border counties, but in the North itself''.
