DEAR SIR:

Politicians will tell you a week is a long time in politics, but for so many people in Ireland today, an hour can seem like eternity.

Since that fateful day – 29 February 2020 at 10.13pm – when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed here, many a tear has being shed.

Imported from Italy through Dublin Airport, a secondary school in the east of the country was closed on 1 March after it was confirmed a male student had the virus, also after travelling from Italy.

On 3 March, a female in the east of the country was confirmed to have the virus also after travelling from Italy. On 4 March, four cases were confirmed in the west of Ireland, also after travelling from Italy.

Wouldn’t you think by now someone of them we have in Leinster House would have said we need to close our borders to stop importing the virus or at least limit it getting it into the country? Next it was thousands of Italy supporters into the country, then it was 30,000 racegoers to Cheltenham and the rest is history.

Sky News went to Bergamo in northern Italy and did a documentary in a hospital there to show the world what was happening. It was horrific, with the hospital and staff overwhelmed and a thousand people a day losing their lives. A doctor there told us, get ready, it’s coming.

In February 2001 this country was in lockdown, nobody in from England or the Continent – the Army and the Air Corps on duty. The border with Northern Ireland was secured and if you were found with as much as a ham sandwich, you were relieved of it. The national football league and the Ploughing Championships were cancelled: foot-and-mouth disease was here and the national herd had to be protected at all costs.

A month ago, we let 2,000 people in here from Brazil, so now we have that virus here – rumour has it to work in meat factories but not a word to anybody. The English strain now accounts for 90% of cases here now. The South African strain is also taking hold and now we are told there is another strain from Nigeria.

The pain and suffering that is being inflicted on the people of this country because of the deplorable way the Government has handled this is unacceptable: the damage to our students and children, the lonely deaths of so many and the hurt to the people left behind.

The billions borrowed to add to an already out of control national debt we have to live with. Much of this could and should have been avoided and God help our younger generation who will have to foot the bill.

It is hard to believe that protecting the people of this country now isn’t as important as protecting the national herd was 20 years ago this spring.