Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a society, it is incumbent on all of us to do everything that we can to combat the spread of Covid-19. As we are leaders in our communities and in this country, we all need to show leadership.

What happened with contract tracing over the weekend was regrettable. I note that when Paul Reid was interviewed on radio today, he expressed his regret and apologised for what happened, which is commendable. I suggest that we invite the Minister for Health here to specifically debate Covid halfway through the six weeks of restrictions at level 5. It would be an opportunity for him to engage with us on Covid, review how we are doing and talk about a roadmap that lasts right into 2021 because there is no doubt we will have to live alongside Covid-19 for some time to come. Even if a vaccine is rolled out, it will take a significant amount of time for it to percolate down. Consequently, as a House we should have a specific debate on Covid in the next two or three weeks.