Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the Tánaiste said he is not stuck on one policy or one strategy and that he is open to looking at what I and others are proposing now. I predict he will end up coming closer to us. I do not say that everything I say is 100% the way to go, but we are willing to work with the Government to ensure the best strategy. The public have had enough. We cannot go through 2021 the same way as 2020, with the numbers going up and down. When we get the numbers down, we have to keep them down.

In fairness to the Tánaiste, in recent days he said we have to save the summer holidays, there will possibly be no travel at Christmas, yet on 4 March we will exit to level 4. His position has moved. What I am saying quite clearly is that through a suppression strategy based on bringing in the legislation and the quarantine infrastructure and doing all that I said, and more, we can get to that point and keep it there. I know the Tánaiste likes to be on the right side of an issue and of history.

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