A leading expert believes Ireland should work with the UK as part of efforts to completely 'eliminate' new cases and deaths from coronavirus across the two jurisdictions.
It comes after New Zealand began to lift some of it's tough lockdown measures.
The country has effectively stopped community transmission, according to the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Ms Ardern said there's currently "no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand" - although stressed that vigilance is needed to keep it that way.
Speaking on The Hard Shoulder, Professor Sam McConkey from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland says Ireland should follow new Zealand's example.
Prof McConkey said: "I strongly admire and support the wonderful leadership of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern - she has chosen no deaths and no cases... she has gone for an elimination policy.
"If you go for strict lockdown and you have control of the borders [you can achieve it]... that's where our challenge is, [because] we have a very porous border with Northern Ireland... and they're clearly, at present, on a different policy than us."
However, he suggested the UK now has a very different policy than in the initial stages of the crisis - and that can help the response across the two territories.
He explained: "Businesses in New Zealand will be up-and-running... sports will be going again within a few weeks.
"You can kind of 'flatten the curve' and accept some deaths... that could go on for three or five or ten years.
"My personal view is that the best strategy for Ireland is elimination: that does involve having the people in Northern Ireland agreeing with us, so I would mobilise the whole Department of Foreign Affairs and all our lobbying ability to say 'let's all work together'.
"It's relatively easy for the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland together to have a joint cocoon, if you'd like."
