CHARITY TRÓCAIRE HAS said it is cancelling all of its public outreach activities during its annual Lenten Appeal.

Despite it being a “vital” time of year for the charity, it said it is the “responsible” decision amid the current Covid-19 outbreak.

It follows similar action from other charities in cancelling activities, such as the Irish Cancer Society which earlier this week said it would take a financial hit as its annual Daffodil Day fundraising event was being called off.

Trócaire said that coronavirus has been identified in five of the countries it currently walks in. All of these countries have lower infection rates than the island of Ireland.

At the time of writing, there have been 70 confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland and 20 in Northern Ireland

Charity CEO Caoimhe de Barra said: “Each year, our teams travel all over Ireland, north and south, throughout Lent to deliver talks, exhibitions and other events aimed at highlighting our campaign and raising the funds needed to help millions of people around the world.

This is a vital time of year for Trócaire’s fundraising, but the safety of our supporters, volunteers and staff comes first.

This pandemic has highlighted the importance of global solidarity. Here in Ireland, north and south, we all need to focus on protecting those who are most vulnerable – the elderly and those with underlying health issues. Globally, we need to support people whose health is already at risk – men, women and children – due to the pressures of poverty and conflict.

She added that people can still donate to Trócaire online or by phone.