Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important point. As he is aware, the current public health restrictions at level 5 will remain in place until 5 April 2021, when a further review will be conducted. The decision took account of a variety of factors, including the views of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, on the current epidemiological situation of Covid-19 and the need to take decisive action.

The Government remains united in its resolve to tackle the spread of Covid-19. The disease prevention and control strategy that we have adopted seeks to prevent, to the greatest extent possible, the virus spreading among the population. Based on the current situation and the public health restrictions that are in place, it will be necessary to celebrate Easter online and at home this year.This is for the protection of our friends, families and wider communities. The basic public health advice and regulatory measures aimed at blocking the transmission of Covid-19 from person to person remain vital. From the beginning of the pandemic, we have emphasised the many simple measures that can be taken, including keeping a distance, washing hands, wearing a face covering where required and avoiding crowds. These measures work. The Covid-19 resilience and recovery plan provides an appropriate mechanism to guide decision making and will continue to be supplemented by more detailed sectoral guidance on measures applying at each level of the framework.

We continue to see good progress but it needs to be sustained. I assure the Senator I am extremely conscious of the burdens placed on all members of society as a result of the restrictions that have had to be imposed. Many have been unable to live their lives as normal or participate in the usual rhythms of their communities. For many people, going to their local church during Lent, Holy Week and Easter and attending mass with family and friends is a source of comfort and solace at a difficult time for our country and the world.

Unfortunately, as Members of this House are aware, Covid-19 spreads most easily indoors where a group of people are gathered. When we are doing our utmost to break the transmission of the virus, it means we, regrettably, must make every effort to reduce such gatherings.

I acknowledge the work by the Catholic church and other faiths to put in place comprehensive guidelines to protect their communities in compliance with HSE public health advice. These factors will assume greater importance as we will hopefully move back down from level 5 restrictions in the near future.

In consistence with level 5 restrictions, religious services have moved online and places of worship are open for private prayer only. There are exceptions for funerals where ten mourners may be in attendance and weddings where six guests may attend. Under the current public health regulations, ministers of religion are also permitted to travel to perform service online, to minister to the sick and to conduct a funeral or wedding ceremony.

While our situation presents significant challenges, the rollout of our national vaccination programme offers hope. We expect to have offered every adult in the country one dose by the end of September. In the meantime, the programme focuses on the most vulnerable in our society. As the vaccination programme evolves and scales up, we must continue to apply all necessary public health measures and restrictions. We must be careful not to fall at the final hurdle in our battle against Covid-19 and must hold firm for just a while longer.