Appeal for calm in Holyland on Paddy’s Day

MULTI-AGENCY bodies are calling for calm and “common sense” as young people plan to spend St Patrick’s Day in Belfast’s Holyland area.

The PSNI, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Queen’s University and Ulster University agreed resources are currently stretched more than previous years due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Supt Muir Clarke said: “With the current health advice I am keen that young people listen and think about close proximity with lots of other students and how that may translate into when they go home – have they got vulnerable parents, or vulnerable elderly relatives?

“We are encouraging people who don’t live in the Holyland area, don’t come. It’s not a party area.

“It is a residential area and it is a student area and we are very much without partners looking to keep that area tranquil and not see lots of anti-social behaviour.

“Our health colleagues have a lot more to worry about at the moment, and a lot more to deal with than drunken behaviour.”

Northern Ireland ambulance Services area manager Gary Richardson added: “We would certainly be urging everybody to think very carefully about their health and to act responsibly and sensibly in terms of the way they conduct themselves.

“Not just in terms of infection but also in terms of your behaviour and your alcohol consumption.

“The Emergency Departments are extremely busy. On top of that, we have Covid-19, which is taking a huge amount of our resources and on top of that again we have St Patrick’s Day so it is a very challenging time. We can’t let the EDS stop functioning.”