Speaking on the motion, Richard Boyd Barrett TD said: “It is quite clear that the governments living with Covid strategy has failed and that we need a new direction. Piecemeal ad-hoc and reactive measures are simply not good enough. We have drawn up this motion calling for all parties in the Dáil to advocate a comprehensive alternative strategy based on Zero Covid.
“We urgently need to implement measures contained in our motion because as we see in places like New Zealand when you act decisively with the correct measures, we can bring down the levels of the virus and eliminate community transmission. Support for Zero-Covid has gained much ground since People Before Profit first called for this strategy back in September of last year. We need all opposition parties and the government to get off the fence and back this strategy.”
Bríd Smith TD said: “The government’s plan in dealing with the virus has been a disaster. It is clear that the arguments against a Zero-Covid strategy are political arguments, rather than practical arguments. In order to escape the yo-yo of lockdown to surge to lockdown we need the political will to develop a plan to eliminate community transmission so we can actually live with Covid while we wait for the vaccine. That is why we are ask all Dáil parties, groups and independents to join us in backing a Zero-Covid plan.”
Dail Eireann notes that:
– the Government’s strategy “Living with Covid” was first unveiled in September 2020;
– the stated aim of the strategy was to manage the risk and repair the damage that COVID-19 had inflicted thus far on society;
– since then the economy has been shut down and the movements of people have been severely restricted on two further occasions;
– the number of cases of Covid 19 in Ireland is now, on 25 January, 187,554, more than double the 72,798 on 1 December;
– the number of deaths has risen from 2,069 to 2,970 in the same period;
– our hospitals have in many areas reached capacity with 1,948 Covid patients in hospital, double the number that were in hospital at the height of the first wave last April;
– there are currently 219 Covid patients in, up from 25 on Christmas Day;
and also notes that
– the INMO have called for the nationalisation of private hospital capacity to combat this crisis;
– that the decision of the government to disregard public health advice in October and again in December has led directly to the increase in cases and deaths;
further notes that:
– the current surge in Covid19 infections & deaths and the crisis in our hospitals resulting in an almost complete lockdown for the third time clearly demonstrate that the “Living with Covid” strategy has failed;
– contrary to the government’s claims that “Living with Covid” would keep the economy open it has actually meant the economy has been almost completely closed for the best part of 6 months over the last 10 months and is now likely to be shut until at least the end of March;
– ad hoc and reactive measures have failed in the fight against Covid19 and a comprehensive alternative strategy is now urgently required;
– the failure to build up permanent capacity cross our hospitals, including ICU, has left our health system extremely vulnerable;
– the current vaccination programme alone is not a solution in the short to medium term and will not stop the need for further lockdowns in the next year if we continue with the “Living with Covid” strategy;
and therefore calls on the government to:
– adopt the “Zero Covid” or “Elimination” strategy promoted by many public health and infectious diseases specialists and scientists to drive community transmission down to zero;
– stop all non-essential travel into Ireland with 14 day quarantine provided by the state for all incoming travellers;
– implement quality case management systems including increasing weekly testing capacity and increasing resources for contact tracing to allow for backward tracing and source investigation;
– increase permanent capacity in our public hospitals including requisitioning private hospital capacity where necessary
– implement rapid testing in congregated settings such as homeless hostels, care homes, student accommodation, direct provision etc and move people out of these settings where appropriate;
– empower the HSA to inspect workplaces and fine employers who refuse to allow workers to work from home, where it is possible for them to do so or fail to properly implement public health measures;
– close the loopholes in the list of essential services to ensure that only genuinely essential employees are compelled to work in Level 5;
– improve wages and conditions for frontline healthcare workers, including those in testing and tracing roles, and end the excessive reliance on agency workers and precarious contracts;
– target Covid hotspots by increasing inspections of large factories and workplaces;
– implement serial testing of workers in healthcare settings, meat plans and other areas of increased occupational hazard;
– increase targeted supports for those who have lost income as a result of the pandemic, including full sick pay and paid parental leave;
– ban all evictions and rent increases and direct the banks to ensure mortgage and loan repayment holidays with no additional interest charges are introduced for the duration of the pandemic;
– pursue proactively a “Zero Covid” strategy on an All Ireland basis with the Northern Executive;
– establish a “green zone” strategy to allow us to pursue “Zero Covid”;
– support the international ‘People’s Vaccine’ campaign for a patent free vaccine including the waiving intellectual property rights for vaccine technology;
– resist calls from lobbyists to re-open the economy until we have achieved elimination of community transmission.