Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Our thoughts are with those who are ill in hospital or who have lost loved ones to this pandemic. We must continue to listen carefully and with respect to medical and health advice at all times. I have been reflecting back on this crisis and as I recall it at one of our first meetings with our best experts on the health issue they said that it was not going to be possible for us to suppress the virus completely.

If I recall correctly, they then said it was not something that we could do alone and that we needed to suppress it in order that our health service would not be overrun. However, the complete eradication of the virus or guaranteeing that there would be no further waves was not something that seemed to be on the agenda at the outset. While, several months later, our health service has thankfully not been overrun, it still seems clear that it will be difficult for us to completely suppress or remove the virus, particularly in light of what is happening in the neighbouring jurisdiction and our border arrangements with that jurisdiction. It seems that this would be very difficult unless some vaccine or other development comes into play. Our situation is different from that of countries like New Zealand and one wonders how even that country would manage to isolate itself completely in order to be able to stop any recurrence of the virus. However, we must do everything we can to minimise, manage and suppress the illness and the loss of life until, hopefully, a vaccine arrives. This is accepted absolutely.

It is also clear that the health advice must surely be and is that there is a wider understanding of the health issues at play, including the fact that there may be increases in other illnesses if people are not accessing health services in the way they traditionally would do so. There are also real issues in the context of people's mental health and well-being in the widest sense. The effects of unemployment on people's mental health are clear and certain and I am sure they can be modelled in the same way as the modelling the virus. From experience, I am in a position to state that one can manage during the first month of two of unemployment. If somebody asks one what one is doing, one does not have an answer but after a period of four, five or six months, it becomes a very serious mental health issue.

This is why I say, with respect, that we must have that wider health consideration regarding some of the timelines relating to the lifting of restrictions. To take one example - I am not prejudging this and I accept that it must be based on good health advice and a mix of such advice - the lifting of the fourth phase, when we will allow our people to move around the country and go on holiday here becomes a viable option. If that took place at the start rather than at the end of the month, it would have a significant bearing on the viability of the tourism industry into next year. It would also have a significant impact on the return of jobs across the country in order to cater for those domestic holidaymakers. Getting the tourism industry up and running would provide a massive boost to people's mental health in terms of the employment generation that would be the natural result of such a development. The viability of that employment into next year would also be secured. Even though it would involve taking this step three or four weeks early, it would make a huge difference.

I do not wish to contradict or be seen to undermine NPHET but if we are to look at possible restrictions on that date - let us say that we might move to phase 3 rather than phase 4 - when might that be decided? When would the Taoiseach sit down with NPHET to work out those sort of arrangements? If it is only done towards the end of June, it will not give people time to plan or businesses time to set up and organise. While one does not wish to contradict, prejudge, presume or risk any health factors, an issue that we must consider is when we might signal if such a slight change in the timelines were to be put in place in order that we could know in advance what we might be able to do regarding the tens of thousands of jobs that might be reactivated. What type of approach and what type of timeline might apply in respect of such a decision if it is possible, on health grounds, for us to make it?

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