Richard Pengelly tells Inquiry Northern Ireland entered the pandemic with a “very tired” health workforce
The idea that Covid presented no threat outside of China was “very clearly dispelled” when a busload of tourists from Wuhan visited Co Antrim in the early days of the virus spreading, a public inquiry has heard.
Discussing preparedness for a pandemic and whether it was believed it could be contained, lead counsel for the inquiry Clair Dobbin KC referred Mr Pengelly to an internal civil service message sent on January 25 2020, a week before any Covid cases had been recorded in the UK, and a month before a case was recorded in Northern Ireland.
The message went on to say that the health minister Robin Swann would be calling then-first minister and deputy first minister Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill to brief them on the visit. Mr Pengelly said that the tourists had all reported to be asymptomatic. Mr Pengelly said: “My understanding was that was why the assessment was that the second of the two scenarios was seen as the most likely situation, that it wouldn’t be contained within China.”
Northern Ireland was without devolved government from January 2017 until the institutions were restored in January 2020.
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