Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Everyone is affected by Covid-19, but some are badly affected. We can never forget about the grief of those who have lost a loved one, who never got a chance to say goodbye and, in some cases, could not attend a funeral. There has also been the everyday pain of people going to a window of a nursing home, just to try to be present. We need some regime, however strict, to allow at least some visits. I hate to say it but the budget let down family carers, worn out behind their own front doors. We need further support immediately. There are Covid survivors, often thought of as the lucky ones, who have been struck down by post-viral fatigue, while lives have been circumscribed, sometimes badly. We need, in parallel, to fund research and to try to find therapies and treatments for these people. There are young people over the age of 18 who are not working or in college and are pursuing online courses in bedrooms that have become virtual prisons. We need to find ways to allow their return to campus for blended learning, even on a staggered basis. Any business that, for the best public health reasons, will not be allowed to reopen needs a special package of supports immediately. Businesses, often one or two-person operations, that do not operate from a specific premises cannot access business supports because they are tied to premises. We need to look again at that group.

We should consider setting up a Dáil committee, similar to the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response, on the vaccination process from start to finish. I refer to the plans, the processes, the implementation of decisions taken by public health experts, the national and local approach, the follow-up and the follow-through, the collection of information, the staff, the buildings and their location, the transport, the sourcing of what I call the tools of the trade, the cost, the public information provision, the human factors and all the other logistics. All this and more will add up to probably the most important work the Government will undertake. A special Dáil committee would provide proper accountability, good co-operation and reassurance to people.

In regard to Christmas, people want simple, clear messages. To be honest, I do not want to hear about bringing home one's own plates or cutlery or putting grandpa near an open window. If Covid does not get him, the flu will. We need straightforward messages about the number of households in total that someone can meet up with at Christmas, the exact requirements for those travelling from abroad and the simple messages of washing hands, masking up and social distancing. Moreover, while there must be proper ventilation, mind grandpa.

See this speech in context