Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

New figures have just come out on the Covid hub about the levels of hospitalisation of children due to Covid. They are very concerning. The figures cover the period up to the end of January. Hospitalisations for those between zero and four years of age number 217. That compares with the numbers throughout the course of 2021 of, on average, 25 a month. There are 217 children between the ages of zero to four years of age in hospital due to Covid right now. In the five- to 14-year-old age group, there are 172. This compares with an average of fewer than 20 during 2021. Already, we are at the point where there have been more hospital days for children due to Covid this year than throughout the entirety of 2021. That tallies with what we are hearing in terms of schools. There were 14,000 - an unprecedented number - teachers out due to Covid last month. We know the risks here in terms of admission to ICT, hospitalisation, the impact on the rest of the health service and the 10% who will suffer from long Covid. In light of all of that data, is it not correct to take a cautious approach in terms of lifting the recommendation on masks and in the context of the public health guidance that is in place to protect people?

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