Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ANSWERS Justice Minister echoes demands from other political parties
Grieving girl sat uni exams after dad died of bug
rants, cafes and hotels all trading again, it is clear that footfall is going to be down for some time to come.
“As businesses reopen they will start incurring costs again but without the levels of custom they would ordinarily expect and that will place many under pressure.”
He said other cities and states have tried to address this issue by giving citizens vouchers to spend in hard-hit sectors such as retail and hospitality.
Vienna gave every household €50 to spend in local cafes and restaurants while Malta and the Chinese city of Wuhan have done something similar, Mr Hamilton said.
He added: “With press reports that the Chancellor is considering a voucher scheme, the Northern Ireland Executive must ensure that if the Government does take such a step then Northern Ireland is either included or follows suit and introduces its own voucher scheme.
“There is no doubt that a voucher scheme would bring a much-needed boost for our retail and hospitality businesses.”
Many of them have been closed for nearly four months.
Mr Hamilton added: “Footfall will continue to be challenged.
“By incentivising spending, a voucher scheme would get help to the businesses that need it most and sustain jobs in the process.”
A QUEEN’S University Belfast student whose father died from Covid-19 just as her exams started, completed them for him – and gained a first class honours degree.
Nicola Ward, from Cabra, Co Down, was unable to visit her father Eugene in hospital where he was being cared for by specialists.
He passed away on May 2 after spending three weeks in ICU.
Nicola said: “Dad passed away the day after my exams started. I think the hardest part of it all was being stuck at home.
“The restrictions meant that it was almost cruel that we couldn’t visit him.
“Even though he was surrounded by medical staff, the thought of him dying in hospital without us was absolutely heartbreaking.
“He was so healthy, and it was unexpected how severely Covid-19 affected him while I had such mild symptoms.”
The 22-year-old said: “I was in two minds of whether to do my exams or not but in the end, I decided to do them for him, I know he would have wanted me to after all of the work I had put in, especially in final year.”
Nicola graduated on July 3 with a Master’s of Pharmacy degree (Mpharm) with first class honours.
She plans to begin her pre-registration year in a few weeks in a community pharmacy, with the aim of becoming a registered pharmacist next year.
Nicola added: “I had definitely never imagined a scenario where I’d be graduating without my dad by my side that’s for sure.
“He was incredibly proud that I was pursuing a career in pharmacy and he encouraged me every single step of the way and gave the best advice.
“I know he’d be very proud of me.”
YESTERDAY CO DOWN