Does virus crisis stoke case for united Ireland?

by Joe Stenson

Ireland’s coronavirus crisis is often described as an “all-island” emergency, shared with the British territory of Northern Ireland — a sign, some say, that the pandemic has bolstered the long-fraught case for unification.

As the crisis has unfolded, death counts have often been tallied on an all-island basis — a figure that stood at 1,684 at the start of this week.

“It knows no borders and we are all in this together,” Irish Health Minister Simon Harris said as the contagion took hold last month.

“It is essential we continue to do everything we can across the island to fight this pandemic,” he added.

In the decades-long debate over the destiny of Northern Ireland, his comments may be seen as freighted with particular meaning.