Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy. Water mains that need to be repaired should be repaired and replaced if they need to be replaced. Deputy Carey mentioned this to me as well. I will make inquiries at Irish Water about that and find out if we can get the work done quickly. We all know the importance of clean water in terms of public health and general hygiene.

In response to Deputy Harkin, when it comes to face coverings, there is an active scientific debate on that.

There is an active scientific debate on face coverings. We have been waiting for quite some time for advice from NPHET and we expect it today or tomorrow. Hopefully we can give people clarity. I believe the advice will be to advise face coverings in certain circumstances but perhaps not face masks as we do not want to be in a situation where we run into shortages of surgical or respiratory masks for those who need them most, namely our healthcare workers. If that is the case, it will be necessary to have a public information campaign as well to inform people how and when to use them and reminding people, as the Deputy rightly said, that it is not a substitute for the other things. It may have some additional benefit in certain circumstances but it should not be seen as an alternative to social distancing, hand washing and respiratory etiquette.

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