Covid-19: Loyalist doctor and republican doctor each voice fears over fresh lockdown

Writing in the News Letter, Dr John Kyle (a leading member of the loyalist PUP) and Dr Anne McCloskey (a member of the pro-life republican party Aontu) have each pointed out pitfalls in the idea of a renewed clampdown.

Their comments come as speculation increasingly points towards a tightening of restrictions on life in the Province, and across the wider UK.

Dr Kyle said that a return to the kind of curbs we saw in the spring would “mean Levels of emotional distress and mental ill health would escalate”, and could be especially “catastrophic” for children.

He said that we will have to accept it, as prior generations lived with polio or TB.

Dr McCloskey likewise said we must “learn to live” with the virus, calling the lockdown response “stupid” and “inhumane”.

She said whilst we cannot yet see it there is a “tsunami of unemployment, mortgage defaults and repossessions, despair leading to self-harm and drug/alcohol misuse and suicides” which is heading our way as a result.

(Though she holds office on Derry City and Strabane District Council, she is writing in a personal capacity, rather than as a spokeswoman for her party).

At a press conference led by Robin Swann on Wednesday, the message to the Province was that hospital admissions and deaths are going to increase markedly in the coming weeks.

Mr Swann insisted that he will never consider a “herd immunity” strategy – which is generally taken to mean isolating vulnerable and elderly people, but allowing the virus to spread throughout the remaining population.

He said such a strategy is tantamount to a “survival of the fittest” approach.

He also advised people not to listen to “self-certified epidemiologists”, who lack the qualifications to really assess the situation.

In Tuesday’s edition, the News Letter ran an urgent plea from 13 NI doctors in full as the day’s lead letter.

The doctors had said that people should “reduce social interactions immediately... to reduce the potential for transmission to protect our health service”.

Today we carry opinions from Dr Kyle and Dr McCloskey, and you can read their contributions in full on pages 16 and 17 (as well as a robust defence of health minister Robin Swann by one of his party colleagues).

SEE THE NEWS LETTER OPINION SECTION >HERE<.

COUNTING THE FINANCIAL COST:

In terms of the economic cost of Covid to the UK, the Office for National Statistics says that in the first five months of the 2020/21 financial year alone, the government had borrowed £173.7 billion.

By comparison, the government had borrowed £56.6 billion for the entire year 2019/20.

For context, the UK’s entire annual defence budget stands at £55 billion.

Meanwhile, the amount of central government tax collected in August this year was £37.3 billion, down from £44.8 billion in August 2019.

Read more from the News Letter:

Click here: Swann: We won’t even talk about ‘herd immunity’ in my department

Click here: Deep divisions over Troubles erupt as council agrees to consider army museum

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