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The Covid-19 Inquiry in Belfast heard evidence that the initial threat of Covid outside of China was dispelled when a busload of tourists from Wuhan visited Co Antrim in the early days of the virus spreading. Despite an official attending the tourists to provide health advice, Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer was unconcerned about the visit. The region entered the pandemic with a tired health workforce, and it was suggested that if Stormont powersharing institutions had not been suspended in the years prior, they may have been better prepared.
Richard Pengelly, the former permanent secretary at Stormont’s Department of Health, gave evidence to the inquiry, which is investigating the response to the pandemic. The inquiry discussed the preparedness for a pandemic and highlighted a message sent in January 2020 regarding Chinese tourists from Wuhan visiting Larne. The tourists were asymptomatic, but concerns were raised about the potential threat.
The inquiry also questioned why a cross-department emergency response was not activated earlier in Northern Ireland when the first case of Covid was detected in February 2020. Pengelly acknowledged that a whole-of-government response is essential in fighting the pandemic and admitted that the health system in Northern Ireland was sub-optimal before the pandemic. He suggested that if the Executive had been in place for three years prior to the pandemic, the region may have been better prepared.
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Source link: https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2024/05/07/visit-of-wuhan-tourists-to-larne-dispelled-notion-covid-could-be-contained/
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