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The Republic of Ireland, much like the United States, is seeing a serious spike in the number of people getting infected during this worldwide pandemic.
Ireland, which has a population just under 5 million people, has 1,125 confirmed cases of people becoming infected as of Monday – 219 of which occurred in the most recent day on record.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday that he was instituting a minimum three-week shelter in place order.
“We will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public excluding people you live with and we will stop all social events including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies but excluding funerals,” Johnson stated, while adding, “If you don’t follow the rules, the police will have the powers to enforce them including through fines.”
This order, however, only covers Northern Ireland, while Southern Ireland has yet to issue a similar decree.
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor, who is from Crumlin, a suburb of Dublin in Southern Ireland, wants the leaders in his country to do the same as Northern Ireland and delivered an impassioned speech demanding that they do so…now.
“While we are all currently debating a full lockdown, I feel that we must,” said McGregor. “Any time spent debating this is needless time from the clock. I know a good, tough fight when I see one, and we have one on our hands now. I want to call upon my people – the great people of Ireland. This fight needs us all. We’re all in the red corner together, awaiting the bell. So let’s gather together and ring the bell ourselves, including the people of the rest of the world. True lockdown must begin, and it must begin now – a lockdown together, a lockdown united.
“Powers that be, I am calling to you all, the fate of our great Ireland depends on it,” he continued. “This is my proposal and I pray that we can make this happen.
“We need to take the same measures as some of the heavier affected countries, only we must do it in quicker time! We have the advantage here in that we can see this coming,” McGregor added. “We can see this coming. But if we do not act on our advantage, then we cannot expect different results. We are not adhering to social distancing, at least not to the extent require to halt exponential growth. A lockdown would facilitate this.
“Ireland, we have got this. Not only do we have the formula, we have it ahead of time! Let’s go, Ireland! Let’s go, rest of the world! Lock down united! Together we stand! God bless us all!”
Amen.