We again find ourselves at a crossroads in our long fight with Covid-19.

After three months of living under level 5 restrictions - our third lockdown of this pandemic - people are understandably fed up and many of them are angry and frustrated. Thousands have not seen a day's work in a year. Many have not seen family or friends in months and small businesses are either closing or struggling to survive. It is fair to say that people have made huge sacrifices to suppress the virus following the dangerous position we found ourselves in after Christmas. However, infection rates remain very high. NPHET has warned that we are in a very "volatile and precarious" position. People are now anxious about the possibility of a fourth wave. They are worried about the prospect of a lost summer after months of slogging it out with this virus.

We are now approaching 5 April, the date the public had hoped would bring some relief from restrictions, yet people are still waiting to hear the Government's plan as to what lies ahead. Instead of clear communication and strong leadership, what we have had throughout the crisis is mixed messages and kite-flying. To say that people are at the end of their tether is in many cases an understatement. They have seen the Government fail to do what needs to be done to get ahead of the virus, to pave a pathway for a safe reopening of society. That has left many in disbelief. I refer specifically to a stuttering vaccine roll-out, a failure to adequately ramp up testing and tracing and the carte blanche that has been given to meat factories, for example, with devastating consequences.

However, I think it is the refusal to deal with international travel that stands at the top of the list. The lack of common sense in Government policy is mesmerising. The situation is that people cannot go 5 km from their home, but they have to watch as up to 10,000 people a week arrive here from abroad, many on non-essential trips, including holidays. As early as last May, public health officials were urging the Government to implement a full and proper form of mandatory quarantine. These calls were ignored and that has left us exposed. In the meantime, thousands travelled here from other countries. Ten months later, the Government has introduced a scheme that does not go far enough. The list of 33 countries is far too limited and, in any event, only two of those countries have direct flights into Ireland. We have a half-baked plan that leaves us vulnerable to importation of the virus and to further dangerous variants, the threat from which was keenly highlighted in NPHET's most recent letter to the Government last week. We need a system of real mandatory quarantine for all non-essential arrivals from all countries. That is the only approach that will get the job done. It will send a message to international travellers that now is not the time to come here.

I thank Deputy McDonald.

The task now must be to reopen as safely as possible, as soon as possible, and ignoring the need for a proper quarantine system jeopardises all of that.

I thank Deputy McDonald very much. The time is up.

It is time to get this right.

I know. I am sorry but the time is up.

By pushing ahead-----

Deputy McDonald is way over time.

The situation in relation to the virus is very fragile. I recall when I came in here early this year we had 42,000 cases in one week and we had 2,000 people in hospital. I made it clear on that occasion that I wanted to see a consistent suppression of the virus. In the past seven days we had 3,800 cases and 325 or 329 in hospital. The point is that the sacrifices people have made have had an impact in getting case numbers dramatically down from the January figure and getting hospitalisations dramatically down, as well as the numbers in ICU, which are currently at 76. That needs to be said. The level 5 restrictions have worked effectively to bring numbers down very significantly from where they were. That needs to be acknowledged. People need to know that and not to be given mixed messages by the Opposition which consistently tries to blur the facts. The numbers are still relatively high compared to the first and second waves. The fundamental reason for that is we are dealing with a variant that is highly transmissible and more dangerous. That is the context. We have been very clear that increased mobility can be a factor in facilitating the spread of the variant. That is why we are currently in level 5. I have been very consistent in saying publicly and in every forum that no decision has been made on the post 5 April situation. We will be engaging with the public health advice and other research regarding this.

We acknowledge the enormous stress, strain and difficulties the current lockdown is imposing on people in terms of the restrictions on their personal freedom and liberties, keeping within 5 km and not meeting up with others. The reason for that is we do not want to go back to a situation where we have 2,000 people in hospital or 42,000 cases in a given week. That is what we must avoid. The variant is essentially a new virus in terms of endeavouring to contain it. That governs how we will approach the phase after 5 April. I am watching other countries such as Czechia, France, Germany, Slovakia and a range of countries in Europe where the trajectory is upwards. Ours is flattening but it has gone back up in the past seven days. That is something we need to very seriously take into account.

We are the first country in the European Union to introduce mandatory hotel quarantine. I assure Deputy McDonald that I want to try to develop a united front here, but she was encouraging people and pressing the Government to facilitate travel at Christmas time. She said that publicly. She had her own definition of what constituted essential travel. Up to quite recently she said mandatory quarantine should be for non-essential travel, which misses the point about mandatory quarantine in the first instance, because once one has mandatory quarantine it is designed to-----

I thank the Taoiseach. The time is up.

The legislation obliges the Government to consult with the public health experts. It is based on the variant and its very high incidence rates.

I thank the Taoiseach very much.

Recommendations will come from the Chief Medical Officer about adding other countries. We are the first in Europe to introduce this and that should also be acknowledged.

The situation is fragile, and that fragility is undoubtedly added to by the reality of increased variants. The question that arises is how we get from under this, how we carve out a pathway where we can reopen safely and where society and the economy can remain open. It is very clear at this stage that in the absence of adequate testing and tracing, a very efficient and safe vaccination programme and the necessary protections at ports and airports, we will not be in a position to reopen in a way that is safe and can be sustained.

Let me return to my question which essentially revolves around mandatory hotel quarantine for all non-essential travel. The Government has taken a half measure and half measures will not cut it. The fragility and danger of this situation have been amplified again here today.

I thank the Deputy.

The efforts of people to get past this virus have been recorded. What we need now is the Government to do the right thing.

I thank the Deputy very much.

We need a full, effective mandatory system of hotel quarantine.

The Deputy's time is up. I thank her very much for her contribution.

The Government needs to act on this swiftly.

I think the Deputy needs to define what she means by "non-essential travel". At Christmas time, she said that people who were coming home to meet their parents was essential travel. She needs to come clean with the people in terms of what she is actually saying about this.

We are bringing in mandatory hotel quarantine. Countries will be added to the list by Government, as recommended by public health, in addition to the 33 countries that are on the schedule 2 list. That is in addition to a range of other measures we have taken, including the obligation to have a negative PCR test, mandatory home quarantine, which has been a legal imperative for the past number of weeks, non-essential travel incurring fines, police checks at the airports and so on.

Vaccination is the key factor in dealing with the virus, and, to date, more than 700,000 doses have been administered in the country. We are looking forward to higher supplies in April, May and June.

I thank the Taoiseach. The time is up.

There will be a significant number of vaccines administered in addition to what we have done, which has been very effective in bringing down the levels of disease.