Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I received the Deputy's letter on 5 October, which I thought was a constructive letter, and I noted the points she made in it, particularly in terms of having a multidisciplinary approach to the pandemic, her sense that we cannot just respond to every upsurge with a severe lockdown, that other aspects had to be taken on board and the need to achieve maximum buy-in. There is a strategy. The Government produced a plan, and it was debated in the House, to live with Covid and try to manage, contain and suppress Covid-19, which has been hailed by other countries as a coherent framework in terms of the five levels. People out there know the basics in terms of preventing the spread of this virus - less congregation, fewer social contacts and the need to mask up. Fundamentally, it is a behaviour issue and the implementation of level 3 across the country is now essential. I met with the Chief Medical Officer this morning. We had a very good discussion again and I paid tribute to his commitment to the country and the selfless way he has come back to help the country deal with the pandemic. We both share a clear determination to get the country through Covid-19 with the help of everybody in this House and across society also.

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