£3bn carrier on sea trials

AIRCRAFT carrier HMS Elizabeth yesterday set sail for sea trials and training.

Hundreds of wellwishers waved off the £3billion warship as it left Portsmouth Naval Base.

It will return within weeks before deployment to the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and east Asia. The carrier will embark F-35B jets and Merlin helicopters.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “This demonstrates the UK’S commitment to working with our partners in the region.”

APPEAL Eddie Lynch

THE older people’s commissioner said it is “vital” care homes work with families on facilitating visits as covid restrictions are eased.

Eddie Lynch added the pandemic has been “devastating”, but the vaccination roll-out is “giving hope to older people”.

Care homes that do not have a Covid-19 outbreak should also facilitate visiting arrangements, including indoors where possible.

Mr Lynch said: “As well as the devastating physical impact it has had on older people’s health, many have suffered huge emotional and mental health problems caused by their lack of contact with their families and friends.

VITAL

“It is vital that providers work with families to make visiting happen if at all possible.”

He added many older people have been “incredibly resilient”, and have described how they have “been through tough times before and are determined to come through this as well”.

Mr Lynch said: “The vaccination programme is giving hope to not just in care homes but throughout our society. There is finally a sense that better days are ahead.”

More than 60% of coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland have been people aged 80 or over.

Mr Lynch told the Mirror: “There is no doubt the past year has been one of the toughest we’ve faced as a society, and older people in particular have been terribly impacted by the pandemic.

“There is no doubt more could have been done to prepare and protect those most at risk despite it coming at us at a tremendous speed.

“Care homes were left exposed by the lack of PPE in the early stages and it took time to introduce a rolling programme of testing to try to prevent the virus entering vulnerable environments.”