Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to add my voice to the call for vaccines and vaccination as soon as possible for each and every person on our island. All patients and front-line staff in public homes that house those with physical and mental disabilities, such as the Cheshire home, Deer Lodge and Cherryfield House in Killarney, should be vaccinated sooner rather than later. The workers who are doing such great work should be vaccinated as soon as possible. Home helps and carers who are in and out of the homes of the elderly and who do great work day in, day out, to ensure the elderly and those with disabilities can remain in their own homes for as long as possible should receive the utmost attention and the vaccine as soon as possible.

What does the Minister know about the new pneumonia virus that we hear has arrived in Wuhan? Will all our own people be vaccinated here before this new virus comes from there? What does the Minister know about it? He needs to let people know about it.

I am glad that, at last, after my calling for it for months, the Government is now asking that people who intend to come to this country by air be tested within the three days prior to flying. I have been asking for this for so long. It is not that I am against people coming home because that is not the way I want it; I want people to come home but everyone needs to have a test before coming here. How much of the Citywest Hotel is being used? Are we still paying for it? There is an anomaly whereby people are flying into Belfast and coming down here without any test. The same story applies here in that people using Dublin Airport are saying they are going to Belfast, yet they are coming into the Twenty-six Counties. Something has to be done about these things.

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