Covid-19: ‘we’re living in extraordinary and unprecedented times’

The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives and has brought tragedy to the homes of many.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have lost loved ones to the virus, as well as those working on the frontlines in our health and social care sector and others working to save lives.

While COVID-19 has brought tragedy on an unprecedented scale, it has also brought out the best in our community as people band together to help others.

Here, in Derry, and across the north west, the response from the community has been fantastic as community groups, volunteers, sporting bodies and many others work on a daily basis to support those most in need at this difficult time.

And, while those involved do not seek credit, we are indebted to them and I congratulate them for their excellent work.

With my recent election to Seanad Éireann, I will be a voice for these people, and for others right across the north, who work on a daily basis to make the lives of others better.

Working alongside my party colleague, Niall Ó Donnghaile, I will be a voice for the north in the Oireachtas, working alongside our expanded team of TDs.

I will also sit on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement Committee, a joint Oireachtas committee, alongside MPs from the north and TDs and Seanadóirí from other parties, to discuss all-Ireland affairs.

It is now more important than ever to continue to develop and enhance all-island cooperation.

The fight we are all involved in against the Coronavirus shows the importance of working together.

This is a disease which does not recognise borders and neither should our approach to tackling it.

Cooperation on health matters across the island is vital in saving lives at this time as well as improving our health service for the future.

Here, in the north west, we are already aware of the benefits of an all-Ireland healthcare approach with the excellent cancer centre at Altnagelvin which provides life-saving treatment for patients from both sides of the border and was brought about through north-south cooperation.

Our ministers in the Executive have been working with their ministerial counterparts in the south and ministers and officials from north and south are working together as part of emergency contingency groups.

Such collaboration and closer working relationships are about improving our response for all.

And it should not just be confined to health. The fightback against this pandemic has clearly shown that all-island cooperation makes sense.

While this is, first and foremost, a human tragedy with so many lives lost, it will also do huge damage to our economy. As we look to rebuild our economy on the other side of this outbreak, we should be looking at strengthening and developing the all-Ireland economy and helping our small to medium-sized businesses to recover.

Education and infrastructure can also be developed through closer north-south working as we build on existing partnerships and look towards the completion of the A5 road upgrade.

And, while our focus at present has to be on saving lives and defeating COVID-19, we also now need to be actively planning for the future in a changed world. As we rebuild our economy, we need to make sure it recognises our health and social care workers, domiciliary care staff, those involved in the retail sector and distribution and others who are often among the lowest paid in our society. Now, in a time of crisis, these are the people who we need most. They must be valued, supported and resourced on the other side of this.