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

I accept the Deputy's overall point about preparation and the need to prepare.

Decisions will be made and announced by the Government in time for various sectors and actors to prepare in response to a Government announcement this week. I made it very clear five weeks ago that there would be a six-week application of level 5. I made it very clear in the first press conference that our objective was to arrive back at level 3 and see what we could do around that, depending on where the numbers were.

My focus has been to get the numbers down. That is Government's and society's focus and, as soon as one starts talking about relaxation two or three weeks out, that focus goes out the window. It is important we get the numbers down of a virus that is deadly, kills people, injures people long term and can do real damage. Sometimes in the debate, I feel that is getting lost. If I have to say it straight, I feel that key aspect of Covid is lost because of fatigue and the fact it is going on so long. That has to be our first motivation.

In terms of protection of livelihoods, if the virus gets to unmanageable levels, the economic damage will be far worse long term, as a consequential lockdown of a longer duration would be required. Ireland moved earlier than most European countries and is the better for having moved earlier with severe restrictions, while keeping aspects of our economy and social life open, in particular, schools.

It has been a tough sacrifice for people. I said earlier that the hospitality sector has borne the brunt of this because, in hospitality and tourism, people gather. Where people gather, the virus thrives, unfortunately. The Government has brought in unprecedented supports for sectors of the economy through the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, and the new Covid restriction support scheme, CRSS, for those who have been closed long term or had very low turnover long term. The numbers are extraordinary by any yardstick, in terms of the scale of that intervention.

We understand the difficulties people are going through because of Covid-19. It has had a damaging impact on people's lives and livelihoods and different sectors of the economy. The Deputy said what is happening has not worked. It has worked. We were at 1,200 cases per day and that has come way down. I want to get that lower and that is our challenge. The challenge for December and beyond will be making sure that through our individual and collective behaviour we do not do things that cause the virus to rise again. It can rise quickly, as we know. That impacts on hospitalisations, on people's health and, ultimately, on the economy.

See this speech in context