Former Carlow Senior Football Coach and Down native Steven Poacher has severely criticized the Stormont Executive for their contradictory approach over children’s education during Covid-19.
Steven who is involving coaching the Down Minors for 2020 is working as a school teacher in Newry and Speaking to today’s (Monday) Irish Independent Newspaper, he has slammed the Northern Ireland government’s approach of retaining some student’s in the school’s during the crisis, while also pointing out that he found himself on a pitch with schoolchildren the day after the GAA shut down all activity from Thursday 12th March.
“That afternoon, on the Friday I had 60 kids on the field for an hour and a half doing PE because the guidance we were given from the government at that time was to continue PE” The former Carlow Coach said.
“It’s a sad state of affairs when you have to explain to your kids that they are not allowed any social contacts with their friends, which is completely against the norm for a young child, but then you are expected to go into school on Monday and continue with a possibility of having hundreds of kids there. You are expected to social distance them individually, it’s absolute madnes”.
“There has been no risk assessment done, no advice on hand-washing, on masks, especially in an town school. They all live together in the same area, they come into school together, so it’s quite worrying”
The Down native was an integral part of Turlough O’Brien’s management team over the past few years as in 2018 they gained promotion to Division 3 for the 1st time in 33 years, while also memorably defeating Kildare to reach the Leinster Semi-Final.