‘People will die’ – Bishop of Limerick calls for people to ‘review lifestyle’ in coronavirus pandemic – Echo Live

The Bishop of Limerick has confirmed that all Masses – not just Sunday Mass – will no longer be held in public as the country continues to fight against the outbreak of Covid-19.

Bishop Brendan Leahy also called for people who aren’t immediate family to avoid going to funerals.

In a message read out to parishioners at St John’s Cathedral in Limerick today, Bishop Leahy will say that “radical measures” are needed to combat the virus.

“For the sake of a few weeks, we need to make sacrifices,” he said.

“Of course, we are afraid of cutting back in business and services; that’s completely understandable but we are at a point where it is now so evident that if we don’t take short-term sacrifice, we will hurt long term.

We will hurt economically but we will hurt from a health perspective. And people will die.

While the Bishop said the government hasn’t called for a lock-down, people should reduce their interactions with one another, he added.

“Ireland is known for its good social cohesion. This is a unique, unprecedented crisis calling for us like never before to pull together to stop the virus spreading.”

While wanting to attend a funeral is understandable, to do so could “enter into the realms of recklessness”, he said.

“Social distancing must be observed now as difficult as that is. Once this crisis has passed, and it will pass, another ceremony can be arranged for all those who should not now attend.”

Bishop Leahy added that social media should be used to communicate with each other, instead of meeting in person.

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