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

At a cost, yes. I accept that. It is a big cost but the Irish people are adhering and it is working. We would like the figures to be lower. I would prefer them to be lower again. They are still coming down. Last evening, the 14-day incidence per 100,000 was 108.7. Finland is ahead of us, with about 50 per 100,000. Other European countries are in a much more difficult space.

The big challenge for us as decision-makers in the Oireachtas is that what we do will pose risks as we move into December. There will be risks as we move into the Christmas period. How we mitigate those risks will be the key challenge facing us. Fundamentally, our job is to represent all the people of the country and to protect them and their livelihoods. There is an enormous economic cost to the restrictions, particularly in travel, tourism, hospitality, food and accommodation. This is where I sense the biggest impact has been. One should remember these level 5 restrictions have taken place in the context of the schools being reopened and staying open, which has been a tremendous boost to the parents of the children. Many of them have to go to work but would not be able to do so if schools were not open to the children in all the school communities. We have kept health services open alongside the Covid services, which was not the case in the first lockdown. Construction has kept going in terms of constructing badly needed houses and infrastructure. Manufacturing has continued.

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