The Finance Minister has said that we were only able to push back the coronavirus because people on both sides of the border stayed away from funerals and other large gatherings.

Paschal Donohoe was speaking as the leaders of Northern Ireland’s political parties prepare to discuss the controversy over Sinn Féin’s participation in a funeral in Belfast. on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people failed to observe social distancing as they lined the streets after the funeral of 64-year-old former IRA member Bobby Storey in west Belfast.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle O’Neill joined a number of prominent party members at the funeral.

Ms O’Neill has rejected calls for her to stand aside while police investigate the gathering – insisting she followed public health guidelines at the gathering and accusing her rivals of “political point-scoring.”

   

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Minister Donohoe said the party should acknowledge that the gathering could lead to further transmission of the virus.

“As public figures, we do have a need to adhere to and implement the guidance we are standing over,” he said.

“I say that in the spirit of acknowledging that it can be difficult to do this all of the time. These are big changes that we are all having to make but they work.

“We are aware for many months of so many of our citizens who are grieving; so many families who wanted to go along to funerals and were prevented from doing so.

“They were prevented from doing so because they implemented the public health guidance and that has been a contributor to where we are now with our progress in containing this terrible disease.”

He said he wished to be “careful about making a political point about a funeral”

“But I think I am entitled to make a public health point and my public health point would be that if a funeral like that happened in Dublin for example in the way in which it has been reported and photographed, that would be a massive cause of concern and would be breaching the guidelines we have,” he said.

“It is just so important that if assemblies or gatherings of any kind are taking place that social distancing and care is taken.

“I know these guidelines can be difficult to implement continuously. I know all of these things but the stakes are so high for all of us.”

You can listen back to the full interview here: