Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

Like many, I feel trapped in a kind of doom loop of lockdowns. Figures come down but community transmission is nowhere near eliminated. The Government listens to the considerable amount of business lobbying and reopens too quickly, and then the number of cases rises again. The way the Government talks, it is like a third wave and third lockdown are inevitable. That would be a nightmare for people. It is completely avoidable if the Government invests in finding, testing, tracing, isolation and supports for people and adopts a strategy of eliminating community transition. From media reports, it seems the plan for next week is to reopen restaurants and then, later in the month, reopen inter-county travel. If that is accurate, it is a recipe for seeding the virus across Dublin for a couple of weeks and then spreading it right across the country. The focus at this time should be on ensuring people can spend time with their families at Christmas. That is what is central. There is public support for it. Despite all one hears in the media and all the business lobbying, there is broad public support for doing what is necessary. An opinion poll published just yesterday indicates that 84% of people believe the Government is either not doing enough or that the action is sufficient. Only 17% say it is too extreme. There is broad public support for doing what is necessary but private profit stands in the way time and again.

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