O'Neill - 'Everything on the table' ahead of the Executive meeting on Thursday

By PA reporter

Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill has warned there are a “number of very big, tough decisions” for the Stormont Executive to take over the winter months.

“The figures speak for themselves when you look at the rise in the number of cases, it is very alarming,” she told media at Stormont.

“We have tough decisions to take as an Executive in the coming weeks and months and I think all options need to be on the table because this is ultimately about how we protect our frontline health care workers, it’s ultimately about how do we keep our children in schools, it’s ultimately about how we are saving lives as we move through the pandemic.

“Throughout all this period we have had to weigh up the public health benefits, the economic concerns, the societal wellbeing concerns, people’s mental health – all those things have to be in the mix.

“That is the tone of the conversation which we will have to have at the Executive this Thursday but I don’t underestimate the task that we have as an Executive around what are the right measures to deploy at the right times with the best effect.”

Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill has warned there are a “number of very big, tough decisions” for the Stormont Executive to take over the winter months.

“The figures speak for themselves when you look at the rise in the number of cases, it is very alarming,” she told media at Stormont.

“We have tough decisions to take as an Executive in the coming weeks and months and I think all options need to be on the table because this is ultimately about how we protect our frontline health care workers, it’s ultimately about how do we keep our children in schools, it’s ultimately about how we are saving lives as we move through the pandemic.

“Throughout all this period we have had to weigh up the public health benefits, the economic concerns, the societal wellbeing concerns, people’s mental health – all those things have to be in the mix.

“That is the tone of the conversation which we will have to have at the Executive this Thursday but I don’t underestimate the task that we have as an Executive around what are the right measures to deploy at the right times with the best effect.”

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said any major decisions around coronavirus restrictions should be taken on a “two islands basis”.

“That would give people the clarity that is required because when you look to the population here, they take their advice from the Executive, they hear what is happening in London, they hear what is happened in Dublin.

“Wouldn’t it be a much better scenario if we had one approach, certainly across this island but indeed across both islands,” she said.

Referring to the Irish Government’s decision not to take advice from NPHET about additional restrictions, Ms O’Neill said: “It’s not certainly how I would proceed, you have to be guided by the public health advice.

“We listened very carefully to what they had to say but we have to also in the round make a decision around what is in the population’s interests based on the public health advice, economic concerns, societal concerns, all that is in the mix and then you have difficult decisions to make.”

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said “everything is on the table” ahead on Thursday’s meeting of the Stormont Executive.

“We are in the space of discussing all these things, the circuit-breaker notion, we’re looking at everything that to possibly be done in the time ahead,” she said.

“Whatever we need to do, we need to do, but we have to take decisions based in the round. I certainly believe that if you move towards a circuit breaker as a way to deal with the pandemic, let’s inform people that that’s where we are going, let people have the chance to prepare.

“Let’s make the preparations and make sure the supports are in place because you can’t do any of these things without financially supporting people.

“We obviously have limitations as an Executive in terms of our fiscal powers, so Conor Murphy has made the case to the Treasury and we’ll discuss that with Rishi Sunak. Financial supports are necessary in order for us to take some of these big decisions.

“I come from the school of thought that everything should be on the table and the Executive should collectively decide on these things.

“I want to avoid a circuit breaker, we want to avoid additional restrictions but unfortunately it appears that they are going to be necessary and as for the timing of when, that will be discussed on Thursday and we’ll hopefully be able to say a lot more about it after that.”

Ms O’Neill also commended the GAA for closing down club games as “hugely significant”, “and shows the gravity of the situation which we are now facing, because we are now firmly into the second wave of this”.