Once again, I have to begin by marking the sad loss of yet more lives due to Covid-19.
Nine more people lost before their time. Nine more people being mourned. My deepest condolences go to their friends and family.
We are at a crucial juncture now in Northern Ireland.
We all need to stick firmly to the social distancing regulations, to keep staying at home whenever possible.
I don’t underestimate for one moment how difficult the restrictions have been for so many, but I’m immensely proud and reassured of how the people of Northern Ireland have heeded the advice. By staying at home, they’ve been saving lives.
But there is also pressure on those of us in political leadership to chart a way forward, to reassure people that there will be a life after lockdown.
I get that. What we are doing now is tough and the longer it lasts the tougher it’s going to get. And people want and need to have hope.
In common with Governments across the world, my Executive colleagues and I have to strike a balance. We need a frank public debate about what lies ahead for us as a society. We need to openly spell out the choices that will have to be faced.
We also need to make sure we don’t send out the wrong signals, to avoid giving the impression that the restrictions are going to be significantly eased anytime soon. They are not.
And we need to make sure that as an Executive we don’t take decisions that risk lives or undermine public safety.
So let me make three points to assist that public debate that is much needed. I want to be totally frank and open about all of this.
Firstly, the widespread social distancing measures in place are still vitally needed to save lives. Covid-19 is still very much with us. There will be no big bang moment where all these restrictions go away. The consequences of doing that would be catastrophic.
Social distancing will be part of our lives in some form for months to come, maybe even years. Until we have a widely available vaccine there will be no full return to what only a few months ago was normality.
So please keep digging in and doing the right thing.
Secondly, decisions will have to be made at appropriate junctures as to what precise form the social distancing should take - included whether individual regulations should be amended.
These will not be easy or risk free decisions. It’s very important to make that clear. What we will be aiming for in many cases will be the least worst option.
Easing restrictions brings with it the potential for the virus to spread further, for more people to be infected, for more people to die.
Sticking with an indefinite lockdown also brings serious costs for society and for individuals. We have to acknowledge that.
Lockdown takes a particular toll on the old and the young, the most vulnerable, the sick and the most deprived.
It is those people that must remain at the forefront of our minds when any possible adjustments are being proposed.
That’s why I say there are no risk-free or pain free options.
That brings me to my third and final point.
We have to tackle this together, cautiously, patiently and step by step. By that, I don’t just mean the Executive but this entire community as a whole.
Decisions cannot be rushed. They will have to be taken in line with the best expert advice and in close consultation with colleagues across these islands.
I’ll conclude with some of the words I used earlier today in the Assembly, about the lessons emerging from this crisis.
It has certainly underlined, more than anything else I can ever remember, just how essential health and social care services are to this society.
Despite the current challenges, our health service is looking after us all and keeping us safe. And we really need to look after it better.
By that, I’m referring in particular to the last 10 years of financial squeeze. We can’t keep running a health and social care system on empty in future, barely getting by; living hand to mouth on single year budgets; and failing to make the necessary transformational changes to ensure we properly meet the needs of the population.
Let us resolve to do better for the health service, that has stood so firmly by us, to fund it properly long-term and transform it for the better.
Let that be one of the lasting legacies of this period we are living through. Let that be the true lasting tribute to those we applaud every Thursday night.
Robin Swann MLA
Minister for Health