Taoiseach confirms publication of Covid roadmap in mid-September
The Taoiseach has confirmed a roadmap which will contain a framework for living with Covid-19 will be published in Mid-September at Leaders Questions in response to the Labour Leader Alan Kelly.
Deputy Kelly said:
“I am glad that the Taoiseach finally confirmed to me that the publication of a strategy for living with Covid-19 will take place in the next two weeks. We are now entering potentially the most difficult phase of dealing with the pandemic as we enter the winter period. We cannot continue to amble aimlessly along without a coherent strategy from Government as to how we deal with the pandemic through the winter.
“This roadmap must include a detailed plan for the full return of the health service and particularly address how the Government intends to get all screening services back running and how they expect to deal with the looming crisis in Emergency Departments. Minister Donnelly still has not published the winter initiative and this must be contained within the Roadmap.
“It also needs to contain a detailed plan around the safe resumption of international air travel and the continued viability of the aviation industry. Unless action is taken soon there will be unprecedented job losses in this industry and Cork and Shannon Airport will no longer be commercially viable.
“The Government’s roadmap must also include proposals to ensure the viability of the arts and hospitality sectors. Pubs that do not serve sandwiches are still closed and this plan needs to contain a roadmap to allow them to reopen safely. Workers in these sectors are often the lowest paid and, in many cases, have been locked out of the workplace since early March due to no fault of their own.
Deputy Kelly continued:
“I welcome the announcement by the Taoiseach on the record of the Dáil that a roadmap will be published in the next fortnight as it should have been published well before now. We are badly in need of a coherent cross societal strategy for dealing with Covid. This plan must be comprehensive, and it must adequately deal with challenges across a number of different sectors including health, aviation, arts and hospitality.
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