Ms Fiona Coyle:

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus baill an choiste as an gcuireadh theacht in bhur láthair inniu.

Covid-19 is a mental health and physical health emergency. The virus has brought about anxiety in the general population, while public health restrictions and the sudden contraction in our social scope brought isolation and loneliness. Our personal networks and formal support systems were wiped away. The ingrained thinking in Ireland is that mental health is hidden out of sight. It is fringed on the edges of our understanding of what health and well-being is. This binary thinking is long out of date. The pandemic has demonstrated-----