Sinn Fein Councillor Sandra Duffy
The call comes as the Public Health Agency (PHA) confirmed the first community transmission cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the North of Ireland.
Community transmission means a patient had no known contact with another confirmed case or travelled from a country badly affected by the pandemic.
Three of nine new cases were contracted in this way. The total is now 29.
Said Councillor: “As we move through this pandemic of Coronavirus in our community we will increasingly come under pressure.
“Those who contract the virus will have to take time off work to self-isolate while others will require assistance in areas such as childminding or looking after the elderly.
“This will be more manageable if you have can work from home, but unfortunately for some professions, this is not possible and these are some of the most important roles as we move forward.
“These are the caring roles of visiting the elderly or vulnerable in their own homes, bringing them meals, getting them in and out of bed and generally providing them with a friendly face, other roles are those working within homeless hostels and community facilities and those in the service and retail sectors.
“If those in these sectors have to take time off the services they provide will still need to be performed.
“That is why I am calling on those in these sectors to start now to identify volunteers and relief workers to ensure that the most vulnerable in our community are not left without care.
“I also appeal to the public if they are fit and healthy with no underlying health issues to consider volunteering for one of these roles.
“We’re all in this together and with a little consideration we can avoid the worst of this crisis.”
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