Coronavirus causes SF event cancellation
A Sinn Féin public meeting scheduled to take place in Cavan later this evening has been cancelled after the party's leader Mary Lou McDonald confirmed that her children attend the same school where a case of Covid-19 has been confirmed.
The confirmed case of Coronavirus has been confirmed in a school in north Dublin, which has now been shut for the next two weeks as a precuationary measure and in the hope of curbing any further spread of the illness which has seen new cases confirmed on an daily basis worldwide.
In a message sent to party supporters, and seen by The Anglo-Celt, Deputy McDonald said: “My children’s school has closed as a precautionary measure after a confirmed case of the coronavirus. We are following all of the advice from the Chief Medical Officer which involves the kids staying at home for the next fortnight.”
She went on to state: “As you can imagine this is a worry for all the parents at the school and our thoughts are with the person and family directly affected.
“Myself and Marty, my husband, are spending the day with the children and putting in place plans for the next few weeks. Once everything settles down today I will be back at work but as you can imagine I’d prefer to stay close to home this week.
“Therefore I have asked the party in Cavan and Galway to postpone the meetings due to take place this week and I will arrange new dates soon.
“So stick to the medical advice, wash your hands with warm soapy water and stay safe,” Deputy McDonald concluded.
Among those to attend event at the Hotel Kilmore was Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill, members of Sinn Féin government negotiation team, Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy and the party's spokesperson on finance Pearse Doherty, as well as newly elected local Dáil representative Pauline Tully.
The public meetings, Sinn Fein say, are aimed at putting pressure on the party's political opponents to engage on issues surrounding government formation.
“It is now emerging is that there will be a clear choice to be made - on the one hand for a government of change or on the other hand, the carve up of power again between the two old parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and I know which of those the people want,” Deputy McDonald had said.
Newly elected Deputy Tully meanwhile stated that Sinn Féin has at all times being open to discussing the formation of government with all parties.
“We've ruled out no one,” she said, explaining that the public meetings are designed to keep both members of the party and the public up to date with ongoing negotiations.
She denied that the events were a form of political posturing, telling The Anglo-Celt: “We are trying to give people an insight to what's going on behind the scenes. Alright, the media reports on it, but it's not the full picture, and to listen back to what people have to say to us about what they think, because that's important to us.”