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

I thank the Deputy for his comments and support for the Government's decision. On the metrics, NPHET has been clear that we have to get consistently below R=1. Ideally NPHET would want us to get it to 0.5, although it would be very challenging to do so in six weeks. There are other measures that we need to get consistently going on a downward trajectory. Other factors would have to be considered as well, as is the situation within the plan. Those are the broad metrics, particularly getting the R number well below 1 and getting the trajectory going downwards. That depends on all of us working and adhering to the regulations and guidelines. It is extremely important that we do that because the reward for that is to get shops open on 1 December, get people out again and get back to level 3. That would be my objective. Level 3 is a controlling level, if properly enforced and adhered to. I am not holding up prospects beyond that. It depends on the progress we make against this virus over the next six weeks. Nonetheless, that is what is ahead of us.

I appreciate the proposal that Senator Moynihan put forward. The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Deputy Shortall, also raised this issue at our meeting last week, namely the concept of a support bubble and we have taken that on board. We have to be careful about this. Care exemptions are already available outside of the concept of the support bubble and they were always available in the context of the household rules and regulations. Beyond the care regulations, there is the situation of someone who is living alone. The overriding objective is to prevent social isolation and to enable people to have an exclusive bubble or connection with another household. I take the Deputy's point and I also want to keep it simple. I do not want to complicate it any more either. The public health officials are nervous that people may exploit this measure but that will not happen. It is a valuable addition and it is an example of learning from the first phase of the lockdown. It is an example of trying to take lessons and apply them to how we behave.

We will be dealing with the impact of this for the next 12 months, even if we get the vaccine before the end of the year.

Today the Government signed up for two more advance procurement deals with the EU and two other companies. This comes on top of the deal we signed up for with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, so the European Union has now signed up for three. The vaccine could come by the end of the year, but by the time it is manufactured in sufficient volumes and we have it distributed we will still be dealing with Covid-19.

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