Coronavirus: Executive to decide on lifting cemetery ban as SF appears to move

The Executive has come under mounting internal and external pressure over its decision to keep cemeteries shut, with a protest from a grieving relative at the City Cemetery in Londonderry and other individuals speaking out to ask Stormont to reconsider its decision.

Sinn Fein has been the firmest proponent of the closure of cemeteries but today two senior party figures appeared to soften the party’s position, indicating that they were willing to look again at the issue.

The party has offered no explanation as to why it is scientifically necessary for cemeteries in Northern Ireland to remain shut when cemeteries in the Republic of Ireland and England are open.

Today Northern Ireland’s death toll of those who have tested positive for Covid-19 rose by 13 to 263.

The Department of Health also appeared to switch strategy, with some contact tracing to track the spread of coronavirus set to start in Northern Ireland next week.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride defended the decision to stop tracing those who had come into contact with carriers of coronavirus.

That decision was taken as the virus spread widely, he said, but that as it was brought under control then the measure would be reactivated to identify where pockets of the disease are developing.

This morning the Health Minister, Robin Swann, restated his support for reopening cemeteries, something which the Nolan Show highlighted appears to make it difficult for the ban to remain because Mr Swann’s legislation says any restriction must be removed once the department believes it is no longer necessary.

When asked by party colleague Alan Chambers if there was any medical or scientific reason for cemeteries to remain closed, Mr Swann said: “I don’t see any reason why cemeteries should be closed at this minute in time. They could be managed on an appropriate basis with the appropriate measures and supports put in place.”

He said that the issue was important for mental health reasons, stressing that some people get reassurance and strength by visiting a grave and it was important to ensure that the restrictions “don’t have an adverse effect”.

He said that his department’s chief medical officer and its chief scientific advisor will tomorrow brief the Executive on the issue “and at that point the Executive will make the decision because although the regulations that are in place are in the name of health, I brought them forward on behalf of the Executive so the decision will lie with the Executive to either ease those or strengthen those”.

Several hours earlier, Colm Gildernew, the Sinn Fein chairman of the Assembly’s Health Committee, was asked on Good Morning Ulster if it was still his party’s position that it wanted cemeteries to remain closed.

He did not answer clearly as to what his party’s position now is, but said that the issue was “under constant review by the Executive” and that any relaxation needed to only be done if it was safe to do so.

Earlier this week, the Catholic Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, called for graveyards to be opened and said that he could not understand why cemeteries in the Republic of Ireland were open when in Northern Ireland they were banned from opening.

He also told Radio Foyle that he “really would like to get some sort of sense of logic from them as to their motivation for having this particular legislation” rather than “political infighting” over such a profound issue.

This evening at the Executive’s daily press conference, the News Letter put Bishop McKeown’s comments to Mr Murphy and asked him whether his party – which has consistently called for an all-island approach – wants to see the Republic’s cemeteries closed or Northern Ireland’s cemeteries opened.

Mr Murphy did not answer that question, but did not explicitly restate Sinn Fein’s support for keeping cemeteries shut.

He said that the Executive was facing “life and death” decisions and then went on to criticise Bishop McKeown, saying that “to characterise differences in relation to these very, very key issues as ‘political infighting’ is I think unfortunate and I think if he perhaps reconsidered that choice of words he might come up with something different”.

Mr Murphy said he was “hugely sympathetic” to those in mourning who wish to visit cemeteries and said that the Executive had discussed the issue alongside reopening garden centres, reopening recycling centres and allowing solitary prayer in churches.

He said that “all these issues are up for discussion and we will take advice”.

At today’s press conference the DUP Economy Minister Diane Dodds also called for cemeteries to be reopened and spoke out strongly against Executive colleague Declan Kearney who had claimed in an article for An Phoblacht that some unionists were putting “corporate greed over public welfare” in wanting the lockdown relaxed.

She said it was a “very regrettable intervention” and that it was “not the time for ideological or identity politics”.

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