Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies again for raising this important issue. The Government appreciates that people have been severely affected by the restrictions imposed this year. We have provided a range of supports to individuals, businesses and other sectors of society to limit the impact on livelihoods and businesses. The Government remains united in its resolve to tackle the spread of Covid-19. As I said, there have been more than 54,000 confirmed cases in Ireland. More immediately, there have been extremely concerning increases in the numbers of new infections being reported in recent weeks. There have been 1,000 to 1,200 cases per day for most of the past week. The Government's view is that this level of community transmission is too high and decisive action must be taken now to limit the growth of the virus. The evidence is clear that it is the vulnerable in society who are most risk from Covid-19.

We in Ireland are not alone in being impacted by the virus. There have now been more than 41 million cases worldwide and 1.1 million deaths. Many other countries have imposed very restrictive measures to limit the further growth of the virus. This Government has consulted with a number of churches and faiths on the response to the pandemic. This has resulted, for example, in the production of an information booklet entitled A Guide for the Bereaved during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Catholic Church and other faiths have guidelines in place to protect their communities, in compliance with HSE public health guidelines. That effort is welcomed.

I remind Deputies that we each have the power to limit the impact of the virus by adhering to the public health guidelines. We succeeded in doing so earlier this year, thanks to our collective efforts, and we can do so again. I appeal to all colleagues to show leadership on this issue and promote adherence to the public health advice. This is not a partisan issue but one on which we must all work together.

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