Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan for his question and for his ongoing support for the public health measures that have been put in place in recent months. While the Government has today launched a new roadmap for the period ahead, as the Deputy points out, following the protocols on hand sanitisation, social distancing and reduction in interactions is still the most important thing to do. 

It is important to remember that Covid-19 is a highly infectious disease. The risk of getting Covid-19 is now part of our daily lives and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The most important actions we can take to interrupt person-to-person transmission are regular hand-washing, good respiratory hygiene and maintaining a physical distance of at least 2 m, that is, 6 ft, between oneself and others.

I am satisfied that the protective public health measures referred to by the Deputy have met with widespread acceptance and buy-in on the part of the Irish public.  I have witnessed inspirational solidarity and co-operation among the vast majority of our citizens, who are following public health advice in order to protect themselves and the most vulnerable in our society.

Encouragingly, the most recent public opinion polling conducted by Amárach Research on behalf of my Department indicated that as of Monday, 7 September, there continues to be a good degree of observance of the Covid-19 protocols. This research found that the rate of compliance with the public health guidelines is continuing at a high level. Compliance stood at 95% in regard to hand-washing; 94% in respect of the use of hand sanitiser; 94% in respect of the practice of social distancing; and 83% in respect of coughing into the elbow. Compliance in regard to the wearing of face coverings was at 89% overall, with 93% of those surveyed using face coverings when shopping and 98% wearing them when using public transport. The research also indicates that most people are planning to continue to adhere to these protocols in the future.

I can also advise the Deputy that 93% of those surveyed state that they follow the recommendations of my Department and the HSE to prevent the spread of the Covid-19. Moreover, it is good to see that younger people have the highest compliance rate of 95% when questioned about wearing masks in public.

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