Better days on way, say Foster and O’neill as they hail public
Year on from first case of virus here, Stormont leaders look to brighter future after pandemic
NORTHERN Ireland has a brighter future as attention turns to life beyond Covid-19, the First Minister has said.
Arlene Foster joined with Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill to pay tribute to people across the region for their efforts in bringing down the R-rate and saving thousands of lives.
It comes as Northern Ireland recorded its fourth consecutive fall in registered Covid-19 deaths since the peak of 182 in late January.
More than half a million people here have now also received their first vaccines.
And last night health officials announced a relaxation in the rules relating to visitors to healthcare settings.
The Department of Health yesterday announced a further 241 cases and two more deaths linked to the virus.
However, fatalities are falling, analysis by statistics agency Nisra shows. Its latest bulletin notes 61 Covid-19 related deaths in the week ending February 19. That is a third of the peak figure recorded in the week to January 22.
In total, Covid-19 has played a part in the deaths of 2,768 people here since the start of the crisis.
But as Northern Ireland marks 12 months since its first case, Stormont’s leaders delivered a rousing message of hope.
Health Minister Robin Swann said “the fight against Covid-19 is moving in the right direction”, as he revealed further progress in the vaccination drive, with 537,086 jabs administered here — 505,188 of them first doses.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph to mark a year of Covid, Mrs Foster and Mrs O’neill acknowledged the pain of the last 12 months, but also sought to offer hope to people, promising that better times are ahead.
Mrs Foster expressed her sympathies to every family affected by the virus, saying: “One year ago, Covid-19 arrived on our shores and our lives changed completely. There is no doubt of the terrible loss we have endured. We remember all of those who have succumbed to the virus, each one a person who is valued, loved and missed.
“It is right to take some comfort in the many thousands of lives that together we have saved. To do this, each one of us has had to take difficult decisions that previously we could never have imagined. As First Minister, this has included putting in place laws to curb freedoms that we all cherish and I’m proud to say that the people of Northern Ireland have rallied in support.
“They have followed the health rules and made the kind of everyday choices that protect them and their loved ones. This has been the most challenging year of my political life but what lifts my heart are the commonplace kindnesses I see in our community.
“Right across the province, there is a compassionate army at work looking out for neighbours, staying in touch with more isolated relatives and supporting those who need a helping hand, and this giant spirit of respect and care gives us all the strength we need to get through this.
“Slowly but surely, we are now on our journey towards recovery. Brighter days are ahead.”
Mrs O’neill said it was difficult to believe that a year had passed since the first case — but also sought to praise the public response. She added: “It’s a storm that we’ve all weathered together, Covid-19 has touched all of our lives, and sadly many people have lost their lives to this terrible virus.”
She said countless families have been left grieving for the loss of a loved one.
“My heart breaks for you all,” she continued. “One of the cruellest things about coronavirus is that it spreads through human contact. At a time when we have wanted to keep our loved ones close, we had to keep them at a distance. We haven’t been able to do so many things that we once took for granted. That has been so hard for everyone.
“You have all made huge sacrifices with those you love for the good of society and what has shone brightly through this dark time is the goodness of people, the way people have helped each other has been nothing short of amazing.
“We are deeply indebted to our incredible healthcare staff who have worked tirelessly to care for the people in most need and all of those other workers out there and volunteers, who have kept things going and provided support across communities.
“Thank you to each and every one of you — we know that better times are ahead. Let’s keep focused on the light at the end of the tunnel — the vaccination programme is making great progress and we will reach a point where we will begin to see a slow, steady lifting of restrictions.”
The Executive is due to release its roadmap for lifting lockdown early next week.
Meanwhile, the fight for essential workers to be prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine has been dealt a blow after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said offering the jab according to occupation could slow down the rollout. It recommended that the next priority groups should be 40 to 49-yearolds, 30 to 39-year-olds and 18 to 29-year-olds.
‘There is no doubt of the terrible loss we have endured... we are now on our journey towards recovery. Brighter days are ahead’