Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I take on board the points made by the Senator. I agree with him that many people have, throughout this year, had a really terrible experience and had life experiences robbed from them. Family events and family occasions have all been denied to people. Our memories of this year will be very painful ones collectively for the nation and globally and it is important to acknowledge that. We are still unsure of the trajectory of this pandemic. We could certainly ease restrictions in December and end up in a very challenging situation again. The announcement of a possible vaccine may not really have an impact until towards the end of next year. So it is really important to keep a very open mind as to where we are going with this.

While the Government is moving from the current level 5 restrictions, hopefully in December, we must keep an open view and be mindful that these are public health guidelines primarily that have served us well. It is important that we continue to follow those guidelines and within that I shall monitor the situation.