Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Lambert for his presentation. The additional information has been very useful. People regularly contact us about long Covid. People explain their symptoms and sometimes feel that they are not being believed and that it is in their head. It is great to have this session today.

I am interested in how long Covid relates to workplace issues and how we might manage that. Some workers were working on the front line during the pandemic. Organisations such as the INMO have questioned whether it needs to be a workplace injury and dealt with under an occupational injury scheme. At one point in the earlier days, nurses made up nearly one in ten of people contracting Covid. With what we currently know about long Covid, how should we manage people in employment? Some organisations are considering having long Covid policies. Some advocacy groups have pointed out that people will be out of work for longer than expected and that supports, such as employment and income rights, and guarantee of medical care need to be made available. What approach should we take to employees with long Covid in the workplace? What supports need to be made available for that?