Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I express my sympathy to the family and friends of those we have lost from Covid-19. I spoke to the Taoiseach last week about face masks. Yesterday, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said it was likely that facial coverings would be encouraged from next week on public transport, etc. We need certainty on this for three reasons. First, we have to plan. Many face masks can be homemade and various groups are making them voluntarily, to avoid a spike in costs and shortages, we need to give certainty to people as we open up next Monday. Second, of course we do not have certainty but if we consider countries where SARS and MERS were prevalent we can see what they did in practice and we should learn. Finally, the Taoiseach said this morning that face masks are no substitute for handwashing, social distancing etc. I fully agree. Nobody is saying they are a substitute. They are literally an extra barrier to stop the spread of the virus. As we open up next Monday, can the Taoiseach please give us some certainty about recommending the wearing of face masks in public?

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