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

The overall public health message is to reduce socialisation more generally in society and not in any specific way. We can all give instances when one is questioned about hundreds of different types of events and so on. The bottom line from the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, and NPHET is to reduce socialisation. Some hundreds of thousands of people under the modelling could get Covid-19 in the next month, in December, but they have not got it yet, so it can be avoided. If we can avoid substantial numbers getting Covid-19 in December we will make huge progress.

On schools, the consistent messaging in public health is that schools are safe in respect of Covid-19. We have also been told by public health that respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, and non-Covid-19 respiratory illnesses have been the biggest challenge for paediatric services this year and I gave figures on that yesterday but it does not get the same public attention at all.

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