Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is an honour to address the House in the other House's Chamber. It is comforting to see my fellow Senators, Oireachtas Members and staff wearing their face masks at this crucial stage of the Covid crisis. Nobody needs reminding that this crisis has gripped our country since the middle of March. It has wreaked havoc on our day-to-day lives, shut down schools and businesses, impacted jobs and livelihoods, and sadly, cost many people their lives.

At the beginning of this crisis, the collective community-based approach was very evident and there was a strong sense that we were all in it together. People went out of their way to support one another, and my colleague, Senator Garvey, was filmed by RTÉ delivering groceries and water to people who were cocooning. There was a great sense of pulling together and there are many examples of that from up and down the country.

During the lockdown, many of us saw and noticed things we had not noticed before. People were tending old graves, rejuvenating their gardens or doing some DIY around the house. More people walked and cycled, and many of us got out into nature and observed it with fresh, appreciative eyes. That was something positive that came from the lockdown.

However, despite our best efforts, we have seen an increase in cases over the past number of weeks. Perhaps an element of complacency has set in. We have perhaps relaxed our vigilance, and so the virus still grips us. We need to reignite the community spirit that kept us going so well at the start, that connected us and made us attentive to what we needed to do. At the moment, that includes adhering to the public health advice, heeding the Government's guidance on foreign travel, contacting our GPs if we are feeling unwell, or downloading the Covid tracker app. Quite a few people have downloaded it and the more people have it, the better. We must do it and we must pull together.

We also need to reignite that sense of meitheal that was so prevalent in the early days. For example, we can support our local charities, many of which are without their usual mechanisms for fundraising. We can and should support Irish businesses, and can buy local food, arts and crafts. Most importantly, we should be holidaying at home this year, whether through an excursion along the Wild Atlantic Way, a day trip to the Slieve Bloom mountains, or a trip around one of our many wonderful towns and cities. We need to be that tourist and that local customer, and we need to ask everyone to stay at home this summer. We are all still in this together.