THE GAA is confident that Stormont will bring dates forward in line with the Irish government, but is preparing for crowds at early club games to be significantly capped.
The GAA announced last week that contact training will be allowed to resume in the Republic from Monday, but is awaiting executive approval before bringing forward the existing July 20 date for the same move in the north.
It’s anticipated that Stormont will fall roughly into line and that games will also be able to be brought forward from July 31, closer to the July 17 date for a return to games that now exists in the Republic.
GAA covid-19 advisory group member and Ulster GAA head of operations, Stephen McGeehan, believes the NI Executive will move “reasonably quickly” to bring itself into line with the south and says he does not envisage a situation whereby plans have to be rowed back in the south because of a potential lag in the north.
“I genuinely believe that it won’t get to that. If you take the example of a lag of three or four days in hospitality and tourism, I don’t anticipate there will be any significant lag,” he told The Irish News in a wide-ranging interview.
“We have a commitment that that’s being reviewed and I would hope that will happen next week
“The situation we can’t change is that we’re in two jurisdictions and each of them is being briefed by different medical officers and getting different advice.
“What is very encouraging, as we’re being told, is that transmission levels on the island of Ireland are very, very similar. We’re hoping that the Executive can catch up reasonably quickly,” said the Ballinderry clubman, who praised the work so far of joint First Ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey and her interim replacement, Caral Ní Chuilin.
“We’re confident that government are doing all they can, north and south, to support us getting back to our core business of playing games at all levels.”
In relation to potential scenarios that could arise upon a return to training and games, such as what happens in the event of a positive test for a player, McGeehan said he expected the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Department for Health to issue guidance over the coming days that the GAA will tailor to its own needs.
“If there’s an incident in a club and players have tested positive, it’s something that the association, based on that medical advice, we probably need to be providing some guidance to counties on.
“But until we get the answer, we can’t provide that guidance,” he said.
McGeehan, who also said that acceding to the GPA’s demand that insurance be reinstated for inter-county training sessions held before September 14 was not “necessary or justifiable”, is expecting club championships to be played in front of restricted crowds.
Current Irish government advice will cap crowds at 200 people in July and rise to 500 in August. No guidance has yet been issued for beyond that.
“All of our plans for the inter-county championships and for counties playing their club championships include that there will be crowds,” said McGeehan.
“We fully intend to be at the point that government has issued guidance that allows us to have people there. Clearly those attendances will be capped.”
