LISTEN: NI Nurse moves into temporary accommodation to protect family from COVID-19

By Brett Campbell

Healthcare workers across Northern Ireland are choosing to sacrifice precious time with their loved ones in order to stay on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. 

A&E nurse Ruth McGreevy (27) from Newtownards has moved into an Airbnb property because she’s scared of taking the deadly virus which causes the infection back home to her mum and siblings. 

“The risk is getting higher and it’s probably inevitable that I will get it,” she told Q Radio. 

“There’s no way I want to be responsible for walking that into my house. 

“Some people come out the other side, but not everyone is so lucky.”

Her mum Belle (67) has diabetes and hypertension and therefore may be more likely to develop severe symptoms. 

“She would be more vulnerable,” Ms McGreevy said. 

“There is no way for me to self-isolate in the house and with my mum’s age I didn’t want to take any chances.” 

The NHS worker knew she was in the calm before the storm when she started to think of a solution. 

“We’d all heard about coronavirus - hearing about it spread around China, Italy and France and getting closer," 

“We began shutting off areas to cater to people who had returned from travel from certain areas.

“Then slowly sicker people were coming in and more off the hospital was being shut down to be able to treat them.

“It was getting more serious.

“With vulnerable people in my house it was always at the back of my mind that I would have to leave.”

The youngest of six siblings is also worried about her brother Alex (37) who has been diagnosed with a condition known as vasculitis which means his immune system is already low. 

It resulted in him suffering four strokes within a couple of days back in 2018. 

Ms McGreevy’s sister Kirsty (29) has ulcerative colitis and her other sister Eleanor (32) is living with multiple sclerosis. 

“The risk is getting higher and it’s probably inevitable that I will get it,” she said. 

“There’s no way I want to be responsible for walking that into my house. 

“Some people come out the other side, but not everyone is so lucky.”

(Family pic including Ruth's brothers Alex (left), William (right) and twin niece and nephew Willow (6) and Seth)

However Ms McGreevy, who suffers from asthma and has her own fears, didn’t anticipate having to act so soon. 

“In the past couple of weeks especially we’ve noticed more and more people coming in," she said. 

“They are getting younger and younger with no past medical history, so it's getting scarier and scarier.” 

(Back from left to right; Sisters Eleanor, Sarah and Ruth, front; mum Belle with daughter Kirsty) 

With increasing contact with infected patients, the vital healthcare provider decided to move into a vacant Airbnb property with a colleague, but the pair work opposite shift patterns. 

“I’ve always been very used to a noisy house with someone always there to annoy you - so it’s strange to be on my own," Ms McGreevy said. 

“It’s hard not being able to speak to my mum properly and tell her about the day I’ve had.

“Rachel is here with me - and she’s great - but because of our shifts I often come home to an empty house." 

The experience is made a little easier by the generosity of the owner of the Bangor property who refused to charge rent after finding out the guests are NHS nurses. 

Ms McGreevy still keeps in touch with her mum who was widowed in 2014 following the death of her husband William. 

“But it’s just not the same,” she said. 

“It’s hard when there’s no one to hug after a long day in work.” 

(Airbnb property in Bangor) 

Health Trusts in Northern Ireland have launched accommodation schemes for staff who live with vulnerable people. 

It's understood some NHS staff were staying in hotels in the interim period.