Conor McGregor Lobbies for ‘Lockdown United’ Against Coronavirus Pandemic

Conor McGregor has some strong feelings regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the steps his homeland should take to combat its spread.

In a video statement, McGregor passionately lobbied for Irish leaders to impose a lockdown of the country. Ireland currently has more than 1,000 cases and six deaths as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we are all currently debating a full lockdown, I feel that we must,” McGregor said. “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. Let’s gather together and ring the bell ourselves, including the people of the rest of the world. A true lockdown must begin, and it must begin now – a lockdown together, a lockdown united.

“We must close our airports. We must close all non-essential business. We must cut all non-essential travel. Commissioner [Drew] Harris and Vice Admiral [Mark] Mellett, we must prepare and deploy our units to any and all and any known built up areas across our country. “Now President [Michael] Higgins, you must give these great men and women the power to enforce this task if necessary.”

While it’s unclear how much of an effect McGregor’s plea had, the Irish government has taken steps to promote social distancing, including urging citizens to work from home, closing all non-essential businesses and limiting gatherings to four people or less. Officials are not describing the measures as a lockdown, however.

McGregor believes it is key to act swiftly when figures regarding the pandemic are relatively low in comparison to other countries.

“We have the advantage here in that we can see this coming,” McGregor said. “We can see this coming. But if we do not act on our advantage, we cannot expect different results. We are not adhering to social distancing, at least not to the extent required to halt exponential growth…Ireland, we’ve 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.”