Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It would be helpful to get that message out because a charge is made, one which does not reflect well on either the witnesses or us, that Ireland has the strictest regime in place and we are largely responsible for locking down aviation across Europe. The numbers from EUROCONTROL clearly negate those statements so it would be helpful to get that message out there.

Perhaps Dr. Holohan will specifically address the view held in some quarters that testing and tracing is almost a cure for Covid and if we had rapid antigen testing at the airports, we could ultimately have a free-for-all. The argument is also made on the aviation side that air travel is safe. That is presented on the basis of evidence of people contracting the virus while in the aircraft with no reference to what happens at either end. It is no different from the example we have here at the moment, when we are not supposed to be outside a 5 km radius, and some suggest it is safe to drive. It is okay to travel in the car but what one does on the other end is the issue. Will Dr. Holohan speak to those two points?