Creed cancels St. Patrick's Day visit to Chicago over Covid-19

Michael Creed, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has cancelled his St. Patrick’s Day visit to Chicago, in light of coronavirus (Covid-19).

In a short statement to AgriLand on the matter, Minister Creed’s department explained: “The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Michael Creed, has cancelled his St. Patrick’s Day visit to Chicago.

“The decision was taken in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Irish Consulate in Chicago,” the statement added.

Commenting himself on the matter, the minister said: “In light of the evolving situation in the State of Illinois and in Chicago in relation to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, it was deemed appropriate to cancel the proposed St. Patrick’s week visit to the area.”

In other Covid-19-related news, the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) has said “there is no evidence to date that the coronavirus can be transmitted to animals from humans”.

However, the council advises the public to take hygienic precautions nonetheless around animals if human infection is present.

In response to a query from AgriLand, a spokesperson for the VCI – the Irish statutory body responsible for the regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing – said: “The coronavirus is an animal [bat] virus that has infected humans, and is transmitted from human to human.”