Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to address this House on the Health (Amendment) Bill 2021. As the Minister for Health has outlined, this Bill has been introduced to add to the State’s ability to robustly respond to the ongoing threats to public health from Covid-19.

We have been improving and reframing our mechanisms for responding to Covid-19 in the past year. Since the first set of restrictions were announced in March 2020, the aim has been to identify the virus to the greatest extent possible and to protect essential public services, including the health services, and to protect the most vulnerable in society. I wish to acknowledge the work undertaken by all those involved right across society in working with us to ensure the measures were implemented safely.

We must remember that more than 216,000 individuals in our country have now tested positive for coronavirus and sadly, more than 4,100 people have died. Each of these deaths represents a loved family member or friend who has sadly passed away to this disease.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government has been guided by the recommendations of the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, in framing our response. The National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, has in turn provided guidance to the Government in terms of the progression of the disease in Ireland and its review of the available evidence.

Given the constantly evolving nature of this pandemic, it is critical that we adapt our approach. We are now at an important point in our response to Covid-19. We have made good progress in reducing case numbers in the third wave. Our vaccination programme is up and running. We now need to address the threats posed by new variants of the disease. These new variants can be more transmissible and may cause more serious infection. The risks to the Covid-19 vaccination programme are a major concern and it is vital that the effectiveness of the vaccination programme is maintained.

The Health (Amendment) Bill 2021 provides a proportionate response to this risk we now face. It does this by amending the Health Act 1947 to allow for the introduction of mandatory quarantine at a designated facility for all passengers arriving from countries where variants of the Covid virus that present a particularly high risk are in evidence.

Mandatory hotel quarantine will be required for passengers who have been in designated countries, including those who have transited through a port or airport in a designated country. The Bill also provides for other measures such as mandatory quarantine for passengers who arrive in breach of the pre-departure negative PCR test requirement until such time as a not-detected test result has been returned.

Regardless of the measures that will be announced, however, it is important that we maintain our observance of the recommended public health measures, many of which have been in place since the beginning of this pandemic. That is especially important to protect the most vulnerable in society. As we move forward over the coming months, I urge all Deputies to continue to promote the public health messaging on Covid-19 in order that the most vulnerable in our society will be protected. I wish to recognise the hard work of the public in keeping with us for the past year. There is hardly an aspect of Irish life that has not been impacted in some way by coronavirus and it is acknowledged that the pandemic has affected us all very deeply.

The pandemic and associated restrictions have posed many challenges for people’s mental health, including increased stress, anxiety and fear. That has been exacerbated by experiences of isolation, bereavement and loss of income and work, among many others. The HSE has responded rapidly by reconfiguring existing mental health services and putting additional services and supports in place. It continues to plan, in collaboration with the Department of Health, for any surge in demand as it arises. In line with the WHO guidance, the HSE published a psychosocial framework in January. This builds on a range of supports introduced earlier last year in response to Covid, including self-help and psychological first aid supports for staff. The framework acknowledges the impact of the pandemic on mental health in all areas of society and identifies priority groups, including healthcare workers and people bereaved due to Covid. The framework provides a cohesive, co-ordinated, consistent and collaborative approach to the provision of mental health services and supports across five key levels from mental health promotion to specialist supports.

Older people have been isolating for extensive periods during the past year. They have had the added burden of being the most vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19. Last week, the vaccination of those over the age of 70 began, starting with those aged 85 and over being vaccinated by their own GPs. All those over the age of 70 who wish to be vaccinated will be contacted by their GPs and will be fully vaccinated with first and second doses by mid–May. As we continue to roll out the vaccine, there are a number of supports older people can avail of including: the Community Call initiative, which provides local helplines through local authorities to deliver practical supports, and befriending; the Keep Well campaign provides valuable information on supporting people through the difficult months ahead; and ALONE, in collaboration with the Department of Health and the HSE, is running a national support line that is available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 0818 222 024.

I welcome the Government’s further initiative to strengthen our responses to Covid-19 and I commend the Bill to the House.

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