Time to pull together

THE World Health Organisation’s categorisation of the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic has presented Ireland with a serious challenge.

We can collectively face it in a spirit of patriotism and mutual support, or we can let panic set in, resulting in an ‘every-manfor-himself’ approach.

The best way to beat this virus is to comply fully with the directives issued by Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Health and the National Public Health Emergency Team.

It isn’t a time for negativity or recriminations. There is no benefit to moaning about what should have been done, what could have been done or what isn’t being done. It’s better to adopt a positive attitude and proactively comply with the Government’s national guidelines.

The next few weeks will test our national resolve. They will determine whether the irrepressible spirit of the fighting Irish is fact or fiction. Will it be one for all and all for one, or survival of the fittest? Will we stand tall together in adversity – healthy and sick, young and old, rich and poor, friend and foe – to defeat the Covid-19 virus?

Let’s prove that we really care, that we are compassionate, that we look out for each other, by embracing the directives of the experts. These measures are designed to help protect the most vulnerable in our society. It’s time to prove that we truly live in each other’s shadow – ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.

BILLY RYLE, Co. Kerry.