Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, to the House.

I also welcome this Bill because a more graded approach was necessary. We will have a step-up, step-down system of fines, more realistic fines and more workable fines. Of course, we do not want to see people being fined at all. We just want that as a deterrent. We want to see the majority of people continue, as many are, abiding by the necessaries to eliminate this awful virus.

As unpalatable, as difficult and as challenging as it is, I support the decision to move the country to level 5 in an attempt over the next six weeks to suppress the virus. It has put hundreds of thousands of people onto the pandemic unemployment payment. It has resulted in thousands of businesses having to close their doors and people having to change their routines and their lives. People have to work at home and work remotely. People cannot travel beyond 5 km unless it is for essential work or medical, shopping or care requirements. These are difficult. They are challenging. They are unpalatable. We do not want to do them. We should not have to do them. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to do them.

I am appealing to the people, each and every one us, to play our part to do our bit to be leaders in our society, in our communities and in our households in order to help suppress Covid-19 because if we do not get a handle on it and if we do not see the number of cases reduce, people whom we love and whom we care for, people who are elderly, people who are vulnerable and people who are in care homes, will unfortunately get seriously ill and will die. Today, we have 37 people in ICU. Let us get that number down. Let us all work together to beat this virus. As an Irish society, we can do it.

In terms of the Bill, it may not be perfect but it is necessary.