Mr. Eddie Wilson:

Of course we do. We also have to protect our people who, as I alluded to earlier, come into close contact. We have said several times during the meeting that this is not just an aviation agenda or a company agenda, it is an economic agenda for this country.

The idea that all infection comes from outside the country is misplaced. We are going to have recurrences of this regardless of air travel. This week Spain had spikes in Catalonia, in Lleida which is just outside Barcelona. There have been spikes in Germany as well, despite the best efforts. It is completely disproportionate to cut off the economic lifeblood of this country, with all the economic damage that will do, on the basis that we believe the only place infection is going to come from is overseas. That is not the case. The virus is going to be with us for a long time and we are going to have to find a way of minimising the risk. Unfortunately, the narrative in this country has moved to people going on their holidays when it is about connectivity. We have got this green list but we have a land border with Northern Ireland. It is porous with people moving backward and forward. People can fly from one country into another. It is a nonsense, it does not work. Even if one wants it to work, it does not work. The public health authorities will do their job in a safe environment within the European Union and the UK where people are working to eliminate this disease. This is not some far-flung place that is not taking this seriously. We will all work together on it.

We in this country are the most vulnerable because we are an island nation. We are going to go back to the 1950s if we do not wake up and do something now, because there are reduced seats and people do not realise what is going to happen with unemployment in this country if we do not get up and do something about it.