NORTHERN IRELAND.- The Minister of Health, Robin Swann, expressed that he hopes that after the pandemic there will be a monument to the people who died from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.
One year after the first case of coronavirus was registered in that country. The death toll recorded by the Health Department is 2,055, and three more deaths were reported this Sunday.
Swann said he wanted his colleagues in the Stormont executive to consider a proposal for a monument.
He said talks had been held within the Health Department about remembering those who had lost their lives to the Covid-19 virus.
It is how we do this in a respectful way, but also recognizing the sacrifice of loss and also, at the same time, the sacrifice of service of our health service families, he told BBC Radio Ulster.
On the beginning of the pandemic, Swann recalled that the projected number of deaths in Northern Ireland “shook” the ministers and that they had to prepare for the “worst case scenario”.
Out of many in our volunteer sector and communities as well, who helped their communities at the time when they were at their most vulnerable point (…) So it’s something that I’m very interested in submitting a proposal to my fellow executives on How do we do it.
He said there would be a period of reflection and inquiry but that for now the world is still “in the teeth” of the crisis.
It should be noted that the former Ulster Unionist Party leader said that when he was appointed health minister in January last year, he would only serve as health minister for “a few months until things calm down.” However, there was a “conscious decision to maintain that continuity” when the pandemic began.
On the other hand, a couple of weeks ago, the government of Boris Johnson called for “calm and moderation” in that British province, after the authorities had to suspend the customs controls introduced after Brexit due to threats against its workers.
With information from the BBC and El Economista
– .
