Chai Brady
A TD has criticised Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly for “dodging” a question about risks associated with public religious services as “very hurtful” to her constituents who have been vocal about the issue.
Sinn Féin’s Sorca Clarke of Longford-Westmeath constituency submitted a question to Minister Stephen Donnelly about risk assessments related to the restrictions on public worship last week.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic Ms Clarke said the response she received was “very, very disappointing”.
“I have been contacted by multiple constituents at this stage who would like to see their churches reopening. They feel that the churches themselves can manage the restrictions very easily and very effectively and they don’t understand why it is that they have been closed,” she said.
In response to Ms Clarke, Minister Donnelly said the number of people allowed to gather in different scenarios in the Covid plan “is based on a review of international practice and the judgment of public health experts”.
He said the plan seeks to “balance the risks” of different types of gatherings. “The measures in place for each level reflect the prevailing disease situation and recognise that we can and must prioritise some activities over others,” Mr Donnelly said.
Ms Clarke said: “The question that I asked was very straight forward: the risks associated with opening churches. There was nothing very complicated about it; the risk assessment.
“When a minister dodges questions like this it’s very hurtful to people and it’s very dismissive of people who want these questions asked, my job is, as a public representative, to ask questions on behalf of my constituents and this is one that constituents have been quite vocal about.”
She added: “I know the number of phone calls I would not have received if people were just given clear and concise information as to why something can’t happen. Where there is a void of communication, it leads to people being very upset and it leads to people being very hurt.”