Lifting of restrictions in Kildare welcome
· Government must provide special package of supports
· Future roadmap needed for any area that may be locked down
Kildare South based Labour Senator Mark Wall has welcomed the lifting of localised Covid-19 restrictions imposed on the county.
Senator Wall said:
“There is an overwhelming sense of relief in County Kildare this evening following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. Kildare people have suffered more than any other county having been locked down twice.
“The Government now needs to come forward with a bespoke package of measures for the county especially in the area of tourism. Businesses in the tourism sector have had what little summer season they had left taken from them due to the impact of the localised restrictions. Kildare needs to be promoted as a staycation destination and incentives need to be introduced to encourage local people to spend money visiting the sites and attractions within Kildare.
“There is also a need for enhanced supports to be put in place to deal with the unprecedented mental health impact of the second lockdown. This should involve the setting up of a taskforce to examine the mental health impact of the lockdown and to help those working on the frontline.
“We also need to see a future roadmap for any area that may need to be locked down at short notice and we also need to examine whether a whole county lockdown is necessary and whether in future it might be possible to lockdown a smaller area rather than the whole county.
“Today is a good day for Kildare but the economic and social impact of the lockdown measures will be felt for some time. We now need the Government to step up with a package of supports in particular for the tourism industry and to also ensure that there is adequate support for the most vulnerable in the county.