Families bereaved during pandemic speak of ‘horrific’ memories dredged up as Covid Inquiry concludes in Belfast

FAMILIES bereaved during the pandemic have spoken of the “horrific” memories dredged up as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry concluded in Belfast.

For some there was anger at the actions of the DUP and Sinn Féin, while others felt the human reality of their experience was more important than the political fallout.

Bronagh O’Connell lost both of her parents, retired teachers Ignatius (89) and Mary (86), within three days of each other at their north Belfast home in April 2020.

She told The Irish News she chose to go on holiday to Lanzarote rather than watch the inquiry to protect her mental health.

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“No amount of inquiries identifying blame, shortcomings, failures or frustrations will bring my daddy and mummy back,” she said.

“I’ve had to move past all of these issues in order to survive without my parents.”

Being a registered general nurse and midwife, she said she was “more fortunate than others” as she was able to care for her parents as they died.

“So many people didn’t get to see their parents die, and my son Conor and I were so fortunate.

“Our loss is insurmountable. I was intentionally out of the country when the inquiry took place.

“I will never, ever get over my parents death. Apportioning blame will never lessen the pain or fill the void left behind.”

“May all those who suffered with the issues identified throughout the inquiry find peace.

“I will never find peace without mummy and daddy, it’s torturous.”

She continued: “There are people who had shortcomings and didn’t move fast enough, but that’s the same across life.

“I’ve had to look past all of that, because the space left with no mummy or daddy is just horrific.

“The cold heart facts were that it was horrific to watch, it was horrific to nurse and to stand beside a double grave – just my son and I because no one was allowed to go to the funeral.

“Nothing will ever change that.”

Brenda Doherty’s mother Ruth Burke (82) was the first woman from Northern Ireland to die from Covid in March 2020 after becoming infected in hospital.

She accused Stormont’s leaders of placing political ideology above the health of citizens, stating it showed “the system is not fit for purpose”.

As one of the leading figures in the Northern Ireland Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, was reacting to the conclusion of evidence in the Belfast sittings.

“Over the last three weeks, we have heard evidence of delay, dysfunction and dereliction of duty by the political representatives who we relied on most during a time of crisis,” she told PA.

“The absence of our government for three years immediately prior to the pandemic left us totally unprepared for what was to come.

“When our elected representatives placed political ideology above the health of citizens by repeatedly, repeatedly collapsing the Executive, the system is not fit for purpose.”

She said the inquiry demonstrated “overwhelming evidence” that Northern Ireland’s political leaders had “sleepwalked” into the pandemic by failing to act on health warnings in early 2020.

“Despite the loudest possible alarms being sounded, our representatives failed to act,” she said, adding the political response came “much too late at a cost of thousands of people”.

“Rather than learning lessons from the first wave of the pandemic, the same mistakes were repeated time and time again.

“I was always told the only bad mistake is the one you don’t learn from.”

She referenced Sinn Féin leaders attending republican Bobby Storey’s funeral in June 2020 as well as the DUP using a veto over proposed extensions of lockdowns later that year.

“The scandals that have come to light, including the attendance of Sinn Fein ministers at the Bobby Storey funeral and the DUP’s cross-community vote have compounded the grief of the bereaved.

“That grief will never, never leave us.

“The apologies that have been offered will ring hollow unless they are followed by action to rectify the grave errors that have been made.

“We are interested in action, words mean nothing to us.”

She added: “The bereaved families expect that the recommendations of this inquiry are fully implemented without delay or qualification.

“The Northern Ireland government must reflect on their errors and ensure that they are never repeated.”