Labour wants Government to admit 'Living with Covid' plan is a failure

"The vaccine is not the panacea we all thought it would be, it simply is not going to be,' says labour leader Alan Kelly

The Labour Party wants mandatory quarantining of passengers across the board. 'We have to have the power to say; You're not going.'

The Labour Party has called on the Government to admit its 'Living with Covid' plan has failed.

The Dáil debated Labour's National Aggressive Suppression Strategy Bill, which Labour leader Alan Kelly called "Zero Covid by another name".

"We want to suppress and destroy the virus and basically ensure that we get it down so low to double digits that we can give Ireland the chance that 2021 will be different from 2020, because the people are at the end of their tether, and they need it," he said.

"We basically are saying we need to eliminate community transmission, otherwise we believe we will be in lockdown four.

"The vaccine is not the panacea we all thought it would be, it simply is not going to be.

There's too much public anxiety and hopelessness at the moment. I've never seen so many people who are in a distressed state. It's very different from last year and we do need to give them direction

Fundamental to the plan is the issue of travel, calling for the mandatory quarantine of travellers across the board.

"The Brazilian and South African viruses are on tour, or variants are on tour, it doesn't matter because it could equally come from any other destination. That's not the way the virus works. 

"What is the point in saying, we fine you €500, and they wish you the best for your holiday? This is driving people insane. We have to have the power to say; You're not going.

"We have to have the power to fine them to an excess of level, where it won't be worthwhile going because the volume of people travelling is incredible still."

'Kite flying'

A number of opposition politicians noted the Tánaiste and the Minister for Housing in days previously made statements publicly about what potentially will happen in four weeks time was unhelpful "kite flying".

Labour's Aodhán Ó Ríordáin labelled Leo Varadkar "the Minister for Beer Gardens" over his comments on Tuesday that he hoped people could drink in pub beer gardens over the summer.

Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall said the Tanaiste's predictions were "fantasy stuff".

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said Labour's plan "contains many very very good ideas".

"The Government remains absolutely determined, and it's resolved to tackle the spread of Covid-19, the comprehensive disease prevention and control strategy adopted seeks to prevent the virus spreading among our population to the greatest extent possible. It aims to limit transmission of the virus through a range of public health measures, including our testing and contact tracing programme.

"The resilience and recovery plan is based on a public health approach and aims to suppress the virus to the greatest extent, while allowing society and businesses to operate as much as possible. It was designed to help people and organisations anticipate and prepare for the measures that might be needed to suppress the virus."

'No lessons learned'

Sinn Féin backed Labour's motion, as did the Social Democrats and independent groups.

Sinn Féin's health spokesman David Cullinane said: "No lessons at all are being learned" by government.

"Pushing back against public health advice, again trying to blame others for the fact the government have never done their job in relation to travel," he said.

"You have been warned, time and again by public health officials that the discretionary elements of travel need to be removed and it has to be mandatory, in your opening statement Minister you say that you are moving from an advisory regime to a mandatory quarantine regime and that's not true.

"What you are proposing cannot be enforced and unless it's mandatory quarantine in hotels for all non-essential travellers then it's not going to work."