Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this motion and the Labour Party getting behind a national aggressive Covid-19 suppression strategy. That sounds unnecessarily negative and scary. I prefer the idea of working towards zero Covid, implementing a zero Covid strategy and supporting the We Can Be Zero campaign. That gives us something positive to work towards together, something to look forward to, something for which to hope. I understand Labour's position on this, given that the Government has stubbornly refused to admit its mistakes and take proper steps to suppress the disease.

I hope that the Minister will accept the motion before us, but I doubt that will happen. From the Opposition benches, I have been speaking and asking about a zero Covid strategy since last October, but the Government is too arrogant to work with us on the matter and accept ideas from these benches because it could not then take credit. Unfortunately, it can have the credit for all of the deaths since its so-called meaningful Christmas. There were more than 1,000 deaths and 100,000 cases in January alone. This is wrong, Minister. When I raised this issue during Leaders' Questions a couple of weeks ago, it seemed that some journalists were more concerned about manners than holding our Government to account for its dire and deadly mistakes.

Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to how it beggared belief that the Government would go down this road and not listen to what needed to be done. Unfortunately, I do not think it beggars belief at all. A focus group and opinion polls have not told the Government something and, therefore, it does not think it. That is the reality of the situation. Unfortunately, people are dying because of the Government's decisions or lack thereof. It is like the Government is so afraid of messing up that it does not realise the destruction it is leaving in its wake. People are tired, at their wits' end, suffering, grieving and scared. They want and need the Government to govern and to put the health and safety of people before airline profits, big businesses' turnover and industry lobbyists.

The economy is suffering, but at what cost? How many lives must be lost before the Government finally admits that zero Covid or something similar is the strategy that is needed? At this point, I do not believe the Opposition would grandstand and say that we told the Government so. In fact, many of the Opposition Members present are against this strategy and mention the difficulties for workforces and how people would manage. How can people manage under this constant cycle of lockdown, undo, lockdown, undo, lockdown and undo? It makes no sense. No business person could plan in this situation. It is ridiculous. It is obvious that the only reason the Government will not close the airports and the like is because it is pandering to the airlines. It is putting the safety of citizens below the safety of airlines. Mr. Michael O'Leary is more important than the citizens of Ireland. That is the sad reality of the situation.

Rural businesses that are in lockdown would have a chance to come back after a proper zero Covid strategy and would cater for the people of Ireland as part of a local strategy, but they can do nothing now. They are all locked down. That is what the Government is doing for us. Some people have said that the zero Covid strategy would last for ten years, others have said only one. In a newspaper today, though, the Tánaiste spoke about the Government's nonsensical strategy, which will last into next year regardless. Be truthful with people and tell them exactly what the Government is thinking and hoping in this regard. What it is doing now will not deliver anything for people except more lockdowns and hardships.

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