Coronavirus: Heartfelt plea from Belfast medics – ‘stay at home’

In an online video, which has been viewed 1.5 million times since it was posted on Sunday evening, doctors, nurses and physiotherapists from the Belfast Respiratory Team said their own lives will also be put at risk by irresponsible behaviour.

Filmed in the at atrium of Belfast’s Mater Hospital, the medics take it in turn to spell out the consequences of people failing to observe the advice on social distancing and self-isolation.

Earlier on Sunday, the Department of Health announced that 20 more people had tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Northern Ireland to 128.

Two people in Northern Ireland with underlying medical conditions are now known to have died after contracting the virus.

Earlier on Sunday, the Department of Health announced that 20 more people had tested positive for coronavirus.

In the video, the Covid-19 outbreak is described as “the greatest medical crisis or our lifetime”.

One doctor with 35 years’ experience warns the public to “stay at home,” and says: “We are facing our greatest challenge, and we are fighting – please help us.”

Physiotheraph Siobhan urged parents to keep their children at home.

As the medics’ video was being widely circulated online, other images were emerging of people gathering in large numbers at popular parks and seaside towns.

Chief Medical Officer for NI, Dr Michael McBride, welcomed what he described as a “grassroots” initiative.

“That’s the sort of spirit we all now need to embrace,” he said.

“People should not be trivialising this disease - while it is for most a mild to moderate illness, for some it’s not,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.

“There’s no point any of us looking back in two weeks and thinking ‘I wish we’d done more’.

“We need to take steps now and over the next couple of weeks to protect our health service, so that our brothers, sisters, mums, dads, grannies and grandfathers get the care they need from the health service and to protect our healthcare workers,” Dr McBride added.