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Taoiseach Micheál Martin has told the Dáil that it would be helpful if Northern Ireland had a mandatory hotel quarantine system similar to that of the Republic.
Mr. Martin said this afternoon that he had heard indications from the Stormont Executive that they might be considering such a system, but added that he was not sure where those plans are or “how concrete they are in terms of implementation.”
When asked if there would be formal coordination between the Republic and Northern Ireland regarding the easing of restrictions, the Taoiseach said that the North was broadly aligned with the Republic to date.
He said the North’s restrictions could also be extended beyond April 5 because they may have a gradual approach to easing the restrictions, despite the progress they have made on vaccines.
The Taoiseach said that calls for an all-island vaccination approach “doesn’t make much sense right now”, given that the North is part of the UK vaccination deployment and the Republic is part of the EU vaccination program.
Mr Martin said that the UK is about a month ahead of Ireland, in terms of launching the vaccine.
He also told Dáil that it was “vitally important” that vaccine supply chains remain open, adding that he will “not support” proposals from this week’s EU leaders’ summit that disrupt those supply chains.
He warned that “any disruption” will cause real problems
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald calls for a mandatory hotel quarantine for all those arriving in Ireland for non-essential travel. The Taoiseach says Ireland is the first EU country to introduce mandatory quarantine in hotels | https://t.co/xjjqnvRelx pic.twitter.com/WI1KN1hdzs
– RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 24, 2021
Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that Ireland has once again found itself at a crossroads in the fight against the virus.
She said people are understandably fed up and frustrated, many people haven’t worked in months, and small businesses are struggling to survive.
He said people are concerned about the prospects for a fourth wave and a lost summer as April 5 approaches, the date when people expected restrictions to be lifted.
Ms. McDonald accused the government of mixed messages and flying kites and said the vaccine launch was “failing and stuttering.”
She said that not dealing with international travel is at the top of the list and the situation remains that people cannot go further than 5 kilometers from home while thousands of people continue to arrive from abroad each week. .
He said there is a half-baked plan that does not go far enough and that the country needs a mandatory quarantine system for all non-essential arrivals from all countries.
Martin said that the situation regarding the virus is very fragile, but that the Level 5 restrictions have worked effectively to significantly reduce the numbers from where they were a few weeks ago.
He accused the opposition of blurring the facts.
However, Mr. Martin cautioned that the number of Covid-19 cases remains very high and greater mobility makes it easier for the variants to spread.
He acknowledged the enormous stress and frustration people feel, but said we must avoid a situation where there are 2,000 people hospitalized, noting that cases are increasing across Europe.
In terms of mandatory quarantine, he said, Ireland is the first country in Europe to introduce such a scheme.
He said he wanted to develop a united front, but noted that Ms. McDonald had encouraged the facilitation of travel at Christmas.
Ms. McDonald asked “how do we get out of this and get to a situation where we can safely reopen?”
He said the situation is fragile and it is clear that in the absence of adequate tests and traces and an efficient and safe vaccination program, the country will not be able to open safely and sustainably.
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Independent TD Noel Grealish, a member of the independent regional grouping, called for the establishment of a special task force to develop a plan to improve the delays in health services.
He said there are 900,000 people on waiting lists for hospital treatment across the country and that this has increased by 12% over the past year.
Mr. Grealish said that there are 600,000 people waiting for their first outpatient appointment and of these 280,000 have been waiting more than 12 months for a first appointment.
He said Irish waiting lists compare very unfavorably to UK waiting lists and that the pandemic has turned “what was already a crisis in the health service into a disaster.”
The Taoiseach said that Covid-19 has caused disruptions in health services and pressure on cancer care services.
He said delays in cancer care are being addressed and GP referrals during weeks one to ten of this year account for 110% of 2020 activity, with breast, lung and prostate referrals continuing at levels. solid.
Martin said the number of surgeries as of last November was 77% of 2019 levels, chemotherapy was at 88% of 2019 levels, and radiation therapy was at more than 90% of 2019 levels.
He said about € 500 million has been allocated to permanently fund 2,600 beds in acute care and community settings.
He said that more services remained open in the third wave of the pandemic as the health service has adapted to the demands of the pandemic and the HSE will now implement a plan for the prioritization and restoration of services.
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Mr. Martin said that the National Treatment Purchase Fund allowed patients access to oscilloscopes and nurseries in public and private hospitals.
He said a “safety net agreement” with 18 private hospitals continues.
Independent TD Danny Healy Rae has asked the Taoiseach to increase the number of people who can attend Mass and to take into account the size of cathedrals and large churches.
Martin said funerals are the aspect of Covid-19 that hits people the most and it is something that will be examined, but he cannot give any commitment or guarantee in relation to the issue.
He added that unfortunately there have been some very large outbreaks related to funerals, which is why the restrictions are so strict.
Healy Rae said that if the situation is to continue, the government must trust that the people will act in the right way.
He said there are small merchants that will never reopen if “this goes too far.”
He said the government must be sensible and let people work, otherwise the country will lose workers in England, adding that it does not know “who or what is going to pay for this.”
Co-leader of the Social Democrats, Catherine Murphy, raised the issue of long-term rental of social housing, one of which she described as “amazing decisions.”
He said that he has not seen evidence on the ground of the expansion of social housing, which is more of a turnkey and long-term lease, and municipalities are told “take it or leave it”, adding that “it has been promoted actively by the Department. “
She said that “incredibly social housing is now actively being sold as a financial product” and referred to a website where she said there was no requirement to deal with tenants and that the tenants are city councils or housing agencies.
The Taoiseach said that the general objective of the Government’s policy in relation to social housing is to build social housing.
Martin said direct construction will be the bulk of social housing.
He said that € 3.3 billion has been provided for homes, a 24% increase over 2020 and that Covid-19 has restricted production in the first three months of the year.
He said that € 500 million in additional capital has been provided for the delivery of 12,750 new social housing for people on the social housing list.
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