26 August 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork Greens thank children & young people
The Green Party in Cork have thanked the children of Ireland for their selflessness and conscientiousness ahead of schools re-opening this week. A representative for the group says their sacrifice and discipline throughout the crisis has saved countless lives, and stands in stark contrast to the actions of a few irresponsible adults.
Speaking ahead of the opening of schools in Cork, father and Green Party councillor, Oliver Moran, said he never expected to be putting his son to bed ‘counting down the days to school like Christmas’ and praised the diligence of children throughout the crisis:
“From the very beginning, children have shown unwavering commitment to practicing social distancing. Even when some grown-ups wouldn’t give up playing their games or meeting their friends, children across the country stayed indoors, very often on their own, or met only for short times in small groups. When we look back at this, we will see who the real leaders have been.
“It’s been a long six months, and children deserve the freedom to meet their friends again and get back to school. Now the responsibility returns to us as grown-ups. Children were there for us, we can’t let them down now.
“We have to use the inspiration shown by children so that we match them with our actions to prevent the disease from spreading. That will mean making sure all schools are properly supplied, and grown-ups adhere to rules so that the long selfless efforts of children are rewarded.”
Irish schools return later this week, with schools working to ensure that risk of exposure to Covid for students is minimised as much as possible.