John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have followed regulations at each point but I am against the concept of reintroducing the mandatory wearing of masks in certain settings. It is not about being anti-mask but rather about acknowledging or realising what stage of the pandemic we are in now compared with before. I am more than happy to wear a mask on a train or bus or if I feel I am in a crowded place. I am happy to do that because I am an adult and I can take personal responsibility for that. At this stage we should not be turning around to say we should reintroduce mandatory mask-wearing in certain settings etc. We are past that stage of the pandemic, to be frank. We can see what is happening in Italy and Germany, where it is mandatory to wear the highest grade of mask, yet case numbers are still going the same way they are here. There is no definitive proof that masks are a great help, although it is fair to say they are a mitigation measure. When case numbers go up, it may be the case that we should be seen to do something so the idea is that we should start wearing masks again as a result. I have seen it here in the Houses of the Oireachtas over the past two weeks. It is a level of performance and a case of being seen to do something rather than listening to the science. We have listened to and trusted science for the past two and a half years. We do not have the CMO, NPHET or anybody else at a scientific level saying we should reintroduce mandatory mask-wearing. That is my view. It is not about being anti-mask but we should have that debate. We are now at a different stage of the debate and I trust in the personal responsibility of people. I will wear a mask in places I do not feel comfortable or where there are too many people. That is no problem but let us leave it to the personal responsibility of people. That is my view because we are at a different stage of the pandemic than before.

It took Vladimir Putin and war on the European Continent to end Covid-19 because for the past three months nobody has been talking about it in the media. I have said for the past two years that the media hyped up anxiety and tensions and we can see people are much more relaxed and at ease now. It has not gone away but people are now more relaxed about living with Covid-19 now. It is the natural ebb and flow of the virus. We must get on with living life now.