Given the extraordinary number of Covid cases in the past week and the statement by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation calling for the reintroduction of mask-wearing in crowded settings to ease the pressure on our public health service, will the Government review the decision it made earlier this month on ending the mandate of mask-wearing in public settings, namely, in retail outlets and on public transport?

I reiterate that we are concerned about the current trend with Covid. I would make the point, however, that the anchor of Government policy on this issue in the past two years has been the public health advice. The decisions taken a number of weeks ago were made in line with the specific public health advice that we received. We have not received any new advice to make any change to the current position in respect of mask-wearing.

The Government abolished NPHET.

It falls to individuals to make a decision for themselves and to carry out their own risk assessment as to what they think is appropriate. At this point, the Government has not received any public health advice that is contrary to what it received previously.