As the European Commission discusses with the Member States a possible complete shut down of the Schengen open borders, including the closure of the external borders of the area, Ireland has pointed out that it would never close its borders with the Northern Ireland, part of the UK.

In spite that the Irish Government is considering the invitation of the rest of the EU to join the Schengen Members in imposing a ban to all non-EU and non-Schengen borders, while also reintroducing border checks for EU nationals, Ireland does not plan to close its border with Northern Ireland.

A government spokesperson has highlighted that Ireland has been offered with the option of applying the restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU be applied by Schengen countries, which he said the government would assess.

“The government will assess the proposals in the context of the Common Travel Area (with Britain) and, in particular, any implications they might have for movement of people on the island,” he said.

The spokesperson’s statement followed a call between Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen.

“Under no circumstances will a closure of the land border North/South be considered,” the spokesman added, regarding the open border between it and Northern Ireland.

The EU Commission announced yesterday that it is planning to close all Schengen and EU borders, as a preventative measure for the coronavirus.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to the heads of state and governments to introduce temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU, which would be in place for an initial period of 30 days, and prolonged as necessary.

Whereas today, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that 21 out of the total 26 Schengen Member States have already introduced borders and banned entry for foreigners. Only five countries in the Schengen Area – Belgium, Iceland, Sweden, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg – have not announced any move regarding border closure.