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

It is now more than 100 days since the first recorded case of Covid-19 in our State, 92 days since the first person died from the virus, and 91 days since we instituted the first set of measures to suppress its spread and protect as many people as possible from its deadly power. Today, as always, we think of the 1,695 people who, as of last night, have died from or with Covid-19, and a further 537 who have died in Northern Ireland. Their lives shone brightly, and were brought to an end before their time. As an Oireachtas, we seek to honour their lives as we mourn their deaths.

In total, 25,231 people in the Republic of Ireland have been diagnosed with Covid-19, of whom 92% have recovered fully, with more on the mend. Some 367,780 tests have been carried out, including 19,364 in the past week, of which 185 were positive, resulting in a positivity rate of less than 1% for the first time. That is down from a peak of 20% back in April. This rate continues to decline and is very encouraging. It indicates that the easing of restrictions on our economy and people has not enabled the virus to make a comeback, at least not so far.

Last Thursday when I spoke in the Dáil, we had 47 new cases recorded the evening before. Yesterday evening, the figure was 19. This time last week, we had 36 people in intensive care units. That number is now down to 29. There were 165 in hospital with Covid-19 last week and that number is now down to 92.

It is 42 days since we published the roadmap to reopen our country and four days since we moved into phase 2-plus, enabling us to take small but meaningful steps to where we want to be when this is over. The Government is now conducting extensive work, with the help of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, on the revised phase 3 and phase 4 of the roadmap so we can have the country almost fully opened by the middle of July instead of the middle of August as originally planned. However, some measures, such as public health advice and bans on mass gatherings, may need to continue for some time.

As these are still the early stages, it is too soon to evaluate how phase 2-plus is going but the early indications are favourable. As a country, we are optimistic but cautious We are hopeful while avoiding unnecessary risk. In the fine balancing act that our lives have become, we are getting things right more often than not. Our plan is working and we shall stick to it. It all depends, of course, on us continuing to keep the virus under control and there is always a risk that it might make a comeback but the past couple of days have been quite encouraging, notwithstanding the daily tragedy of new notified deaths to the Department of Health.

We are continuing to secure and stockpile supplies of personal protective equipment, PPE, in case there is a second wave in the future and to improve testing and tracing turnaround times. In this way, we can deal with resurgences locally without having to bring in major restrictions across the country again.

As part of phase 2, the Cabinet made a decision to get childcare services reopened because so much of our recovery depends on it. From 29 June, childcare services can reopen to ensure that one more obstacle is removed from stressed and anxious parents. We are, of course, all aware that very many childcare services close in July and August but we anticipate that the vast majority of those that usually open for the summer months will reopen at the end of June. Whether it is health or social care workers, or parents unable to return to work otherwise, the reopening of childcare centres provides reassurance and makes what they do possible. It is also necessary to ensure that vulnerable children, as well as those who are homeless, experiencing poverty or disadvantage or child welfare issues, are looked out for. I extend my thanks to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, and her officials, for the work that they have done to make all this possible.

Thanks to everyone's hard work in pushing back the spread of the virus, it is now safe to implement a summer programme for children with special educational needs and disadvantaged children. There will be a particular emphasis on social inclusion programmes such as the school completion programme, as well as numeracy and literacy programmes for schools in the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, scheme. I believe it is right and appropriate that we are prioritising those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. It is also right that students with special educational needs benefit from the opportunities provided by the programme and do not miss out on this year.

In line with public health guidance, the summer programme will be a home-based and school-based one and will be supported by the HSE, as well as the Department of Education and Skills. Much will depend on schools, teachers and special needs assistants choosing to participate. I know that everyone will do what they can to make sure this works but I appeal to school teachers and special needs assistants to participate because we cannot do this without them.

The focus of the programme will be on students and young people with complex needs, including those who have significant behavioural, social, emotional and sensory difficulties. Children with Down's syndrome will be included and will be able to participate and benefit from what is on offer. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, will bring specific proposals to Cabinet tomorrow for approval.

Gabhaim buíochas as ucht na híobairtí móra a rinne an pobal chun scaipeadh an víris a chúngú agus daoine eile a chosaint. Bhí sé slán dúinn leanúint ar aghaidh leis an dara céim den phlean chun ár dtír a athoscailt ar an Luain. Tugann an tseachtain seo gach uile chúis dúinn a bheith dóchasach agus dearfach i leith na todhchaí. Tá na srianta á laghdú agus tá daoine ag dul ar ais ag obair. Tá na siopaí ag athoscailt agus tá ár dtír ag athoscailt.

Táimid fós ag iarraidh go leanfaidh daoine ar aghaidh leis na cleachtaí maithe a bhí acu, ar nós fanacht amach go fisiceach ó dhaoine eile, deánósanna casachta a chleachtadh agus taisteal nach bhfuil gá leis a sheachaint. Le linn na dtrí seachtaine seo chugainn, ba chóir dóibh fanacht go háitiúil. Anois, táimid ag cur pleananna le chéile chun gluais a chur ar na bearta sna céimeanna eile, le péire fós le dul. Mar chuid de sin, táimid ag pleanáil turasóireacht agus cúrsaí fáilteachais a atosú ar an 29 Meitheamh. Níl an samhradh caillte againn agus má choinníonn muid orainn ag déanamh na rudaí cearta, is féidir linn a bheith dóchasach faoi cad atá in ann dúinn.

A Cheann Comhairle, when we began phase 1 of the roadmap, the Health and Safety Authority initiated a new national programme of inspections to ensure the safety of employees and customers when shops and businesses reopened. Between 18 May and 5 June, over 1,200 inspections were carried out by the authority with more than 1,000 relating specifically to the return to work protocol. These inspections were completed across a range of industry sectors including construction, which counted for close to half of all inspections. An initial analysis of specific Covid-19 inspections shows that employers are generally taking a responsible and proactive approach. Approximately three quarters of employers had a response plan in place. Eight in ten had completed employee induction training and nine in ten had Covid control measures in place. The HSA checklists and templates to drive implementation of the protocol have now been downloaded over 30,000 times. I want to thank employers, employees, business organisations and trade unions for their contribution and for helping us to get back to work and to get businesses open. The HSA is now working on further material for lead worker representatives and supporting a range of stakeholder groups as they seek to develop their own plans for a safe return.

I know that this pandemic has hit some sections of society harder than others. Some of those who could least withstand it have suffered the most. Last Friday, the Government considered the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities, Travellers, members of the Roma community and vulnerable migrants, among others. We know the Garda has charged over 100 men with domestic abuse offences in recent weeks and that unfortunately, for some, the message of "stay at home" meant they could not stay safe because their homes are not safe places. To all those living in fear because of domestic abuse or having experienced violence, I am deeply sorry that the restrictions have made things more difficult for you, but there are people available to help. The Garda is just a phone call away or, if you want to talk to someone first, please reach out to family and friends or call one of the Government-supported helplines. The Department of Justice and Equality is carrying out an analysis of the gender implications of the pandemic and this work will inform the next iteration of the social implications report and shape the actions we will take to help those most at risk.

A Cheann Comhairle, as Professor Philip Nolan explained to the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response on Tuesday, the Government's strategy is not one of mitigation; it is one of suppression, suppressing the virus to very low levels, to zero if possible, by keeping the R number well below one. Unfortunately, as he noted, no strategy utterly insulates us from the risk of the virus re-emerging in our society. We share an open land border with Northern Ireland, which has unrestricted travel with Great Britain, and that is a Westminster competence, not a Stormont one. Our society, economy and personal liberties are European and we are deeply integrated with the European Union. Indeed, we are European citizens. Closing ourselves off from the rest of the world is not an option for Ireland in the medium to long term. We need to be prepared for the risk of imported cases as we reopen slowly to other countries. We need a testing and tracing system capable of identifying new cases, new clusters and a resurgence of the virus quickly so we can contain it and do not need to return to a national lockdown. I am confident we can do that. When we make our decisions, whether to restrict the way we live at the start of this emergency or to reopen our country now, we have at all times followed the fundamental principle of protecting lives and not doing harm. We know there are many types of harm. It is lost lives but it can also be lost livelihoods. It is the damage to our children's education, the impact of a prolonged period of isolation on our mental health or the harm caused by delaying treatment for non-Covid-related illnesses or diseases, also known as secondary deaths.

In the weeks ahead, we will continue to follow this approach of minimising harm and protecting lives as we work to rebuild our economy, reopen our country and realise our vision for a safe, secure and sustainable new way of living. As always, I welcome Members' comments, questions and suggestions.

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