Coronavirus: Conor McGregor pledges €1m worth of equipment to hospitals

Conor McGregor said he is donating €1million worth of protective equipment to Irish hospitals in the battle against coronavirus.

The UFC star revealed he was making the pledge in a Twitter direct message to Paschal Donohue, the Irish Minister for Finance.

On Tuesday, Irishman McGregor had urged for a deployment of an instant "true lockdown" in a bid to combat the spread of the global pandemic, which has seen over 20,000 people die from COVID-19.

McGregor showed that Donohue responded to him via a Twitter DM, urging the Dubliner to "give some thought to how you might encourage social distancing", with the 31-year-old revealing his pledge in the subsequent reply.

McGregor calls for tighter lock down in Ireland

In the private conversation that he made public, McGregor wrote: "Today I am purchasing myself €1million euro worth of personal protective equipment to be deployed to all the fighting hospitals in the Leinster region.

"Our most affecting region, to this date, St. James. Mater. Tallaght. Beaumont. Vincent's. Where we would be without these brave men and women, I do not know."

However, McGregor went on to implore the Irish government to enforce more draconian measures when it came to a lockdown.

"We need more units on the street to enforce this lockdown, Pascal," McGregor continued.

"It has been too lax! I seen yesterday though this has been given more of a push. I was happy to hear and I am eager to see it in effect."

McGregor cited building sites and airports remaining open as problematic, before adding: "'All in' is the term we must use here. Bit by bit will cost us lives. To see what is happening here in Ireland and all across the entire globe is heartbreaking to me." 

Two weeks ago McGregor had suggested his aunt had died after contracting coronavirus, though he later clarified that Covid-19 was not the cause of her death.