Executive ‘focusing on challenge of living with Covid’ after row

By Rebecca Black, PA

The Stormont Executive is focused on the challenge of living with coronavirus at the conclusion of restrictions to halt a recent surge of cases.

It was the first meeting since DUP minister Edwin Poots was accused of linking the spread of Covid-19 to religion by claiming the virus was more rife in nationalist areas than unionist ones by a factor of six to one.

He claimed the disparity was a result of behaviours influenced by Sinn Fein’s “poor political leadership” when senior members attended the funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey in apparent contravention of Stormont’s rules on mass gatherings.

Mr Poots accused his rivals of “twisting and distorting” his comments, and issued a statement on Wednesday expressing deep regret that a “narrative has been created”.

Mrs Foster said Mr Poots has made a clarification and insisted he would “never have intended to offend anyone in the community”.

“As we know, the virus is unfortunately present right across all of our communities in Northern Ireland and that’s why we’re so focused on making sure that we use the time available to us now to focus on the challenge of living with the virus and having a strategy to make sure that we can live with the virus when we come out of these time-limited restrictions,” she said.

“I thought it was a very focused executive today.

“I thought we had a good strategic view of the role that we were going towards, because I think whilst there will of course be differences of opinion and nuance and all of that within a five-party executive, I don’t take away from any of my colleagues, the fact that we are all trying to do what is right for the people of Northern Ireland.”

Sinn Fein Junior Minister Declan Kearney, who stood in for Finance Minister Conor Murphy who is self isolating, agreed it had been a focused discussion.

However, he expressed his disappointment with Mr Poots’ comments, which included criticism of the four-week circuit break.

“We did have a very focused strategic discussion today I agree,” Mr Kearney said.

“Last Tuesday night, our executive met at length and we came to a very united decision position in relation to how we would go through the next four weeks, so I’m personally and politically hugely disappointed at what has happened in the course of the last period of days.

“I think people have made their minds up around what has been said.

“I don’t think that anyone should be sectarianising Covid-19 or this pandemic I think that is what has happened.

“There’s no place for sectarianism either within our executive or within our wider society and our Executive needs to speak with a united voice and to act decisively and cohesively and I believe arising from today’s meeting that the clear resolve of our executive is to do precisely that, to move forward, to give reassurance, to give hope, to set a clear plan for our people and to let them know that we will do everything that we can on a united basis as five parties in a power-sharing coalition to get in control of the spread of the virus.”