Coronavirus: 24 hours of confusion and divergence

THE 24-hour period from Thursday morning through to Friday morning witnessed a remarkable series of announcements on measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 triggering further concern and confusion among the public.

As the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus continued to climb on both sides of the border – and the south recorded its first death and first case of community infection – the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the closure of all schools on Thursday morning.

Speaking from the US, Mr Varadkar revealed the dramatic new precautionary measures saying, “We said we would take the right actions at the right time and we have to move now to have the greatest impact.”

A short time later, Stormont’s Health Minister Robin Swann, joined the First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill for a video-linked COBRA meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson along with the Scottish and Welsh leaders.

Shortly after lunchtime, the British Prime Minister emerged to deliver the latest update on the crisis and the new measures from the UK government, which did not include the closure of schools.

All attention turned back to Stormont, where the Executive gathered to discuss its response faced with two diverging approaches on either side of the Irish sea.

At teatime, it was the turn of Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill to deliver the news that the North would not be following the Republic in closing all schools. First Minister Foster was quick to express annoyance with the apparent lack of forewarning over the Covid-19 response by the Republic’s authorities.

On Friday morning, Mrs Foster acknowledged that schools in the North will have to close within the coming weeks.

“The timing of all of these things is where the science comes in and the modelling which has been done and which continues to be done by those scientists will inform the decision that we have to take, both at UK level and indeed at Northern Ireland level as well,” she said.

A short time later amid growing public confusion, vehemently expressed across social media with the mantra that ‘coronavirus does not recognise borders’, Michelle O’Neill called for the immediate closure of schools and universities.

“People are rightly concerned about the impacts on their families and their children and as a parent, I share those concerns and I have been contacted by many parents who did not send their children to school this morning. To protect the public, schools and colleges should now be closed,” said the Mid Ulster MLA.

“There has been contradictory medical evidence and in that context my view is that we should err on the side of caution.”