Taoiseach Leo Varadkar Strikes The Right Note In Impressive Covid-19 Speech To The Nation

The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, tonight made a special St. Patrick’s Day broadcast to the nation, on the impact of the coronavirus, Covid-19.

“This is the calm before the storm," he said, doubtless sending a chill through many Irish hearts. Over the past few days, it often felt like Armageddon had already arrived. But that, as the old saying goes, isn’t even the half of it. "And the surge will come,” he added. The question now is: just how bad is it likely to get.

A lot depends on just how well the ordinary citizens of Ireland follow the advice which has been given by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan and by the HSE. The appeal from Leo Varadkar was an emotional one, and it hit home. “Let it be said,” he appealed, “that when things were at their worst, we were at our best."

In this regard, Leo Varadkar specifically addressed young people. He acknowledged that they are probably feeling fed up and might even be wishing they were going back to school tomorrow. But he stressed the difficulties that parents are facing. And he encouraged young people to ask at least once a day if there is anything they can do to help.

That, in many ways, captured the spirit of his address. He made an appeal to the Irish people to work together to beat the virus. “In short,” he said, “we are asking people to come together as a nation by staying apart." He emphasised the importance of social distancing; of avoiding parties, celebrations, gatherings and even weddings; of good hygiene; of washing your hands regularly and well; and of what he called coughing etiquette.

The speech was set against the backdrop of what he called “a St. Patrick’s Day like no other.” Across the nation today, the main streets of cities and towns – where on a normal St. Patrick’s Day hundreds of thousands would gather to celebrate – were deserted. Citizens stayed at home, in general venturing out only to enjoy a walk or a run in the open air. Seldom has Ireland seemed so shell-shocked.

But the Taoiseach's speech was an impressively outward-looking and generous one nonetheless, which offered a stark contrast to the boorish and self-centred note far too often being struck by others on the world stage, most notably the President of the United States, Donald Trump – who has insisted on labelling Covid-19 as “the Chinese virus” and brazenly offered money for exclusive first access to any vaccine.

Putting this divisiveness into perspective, the Taoiseach specifically sent a message of solidarity to China, Italy, and Spain, among other countries, underlining that the Covid-19 virus knows no borders. Ireland’s call, as articulated by the Taoiseach, was for mutual respect and co-operation across the world.

There are those who might see Leo Varadkar as yesterday’s man, but his message was well crafted, delivered with gravitas, and shot through with a feeling of hope even amid the descending chaos: that working together people all over the world can overcome this merciless adversary.

In so many ways, the speech struck the right note, underlining that the way with words for which the Irish are revered across the world is a matter of the highest importance.

There was a message too for our health workers, who will have to fight a Herculean battle to limit the devastation inflicted by Covid-19 over the coming months and more. When the inevitable surge in the number of cases comes, Leo Varadkar said “never will so much be asked by so many of so few.”

Alongside our health workers, he included in the roll-call of heroes the hauliers who are ensuring that supply lines are open and functioning. It was that kind of speech.

Just how effectively the Government can meet the challenges that lie ahead remains to be seen. An additional 69 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the Republic today, bringing the total number to 292. In Northern Ireland, a further 10 cases were confirmed, bringing the total North of the border to 62. However, the likelihood is that the escalation in numbers south of the border is a result of a huge increase in the number of tests being carried out, in comparison to what is happening in the North.

Leo Varadkar issued a warning that the number of confirmed cases is likely to reach 15,000 by the end of the month an astonishing figure. But he reaffirmed that all of the resources of the State – both financial and human – are being deployed to stop the spread of the virus.

And there it stands. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs. More will follow. There is carnage in the business world. The hit to the economy, and the devastation wrought on people’s lives, will be immense. In the final analysis, once the medical emergency abates, the challenge for the Government will be to work out how they can equalise, across all sectors of society, the extent of the hardship and the suffering that results from this medical and social emergency.

The message tonight from the Taoiseach is that we are all in this together. To put that message fully into practice in the long run will be essential. No one sector or set of people should have to carry the burden of this catastrophe more than others.

It is an extraordinary challenge, in what are extraordinary times – but it is one that must be met.