A Sligo/Leitrim TD is calling for a ‘Living with Covid’ strategy to be implemented.
Fianna Fail Deputy Marc MacSharry says the general public have had enough of restrictions and lockdowns.
He is now calling for an urgent strategy to be introduced when it comes to dealing with Covid-19 for the coming year.
Deputy MacSharry has circulated a document to his party parliamentary colleagues, claiming the national mood is now low due to ongoing restrictions and lockdowns.
Deputy MacSharry says data he received from an unnamed acute hospital show the number of hospital cases are superficially high with many patients being held in hospital to prevent the spread the virus.
He added that these figures are being used to justify ongoing restrictions.
The dossier claims that with more vulnerable, elderly and immuno-suppressed people being vaccinated, the cases in these groups will start to reduce.
However, he predicts that numbers elsewhere will likely continue to rise, with increased activity expected with or without restrictions as people grow increasingly frustrated and less likely to comply with restrictions.
Deputy MacSharry says that the underlying driver of restrictions is fear of our acute hospitals being overrun. He has called for overflow facilities to be constructed regionally, similar to the City West overflow.
The Fianna Fáil TD says that With the B117 strain now dominant and the fact that children are able to transmit it, at the numbers will continue to rise, with a seasonal drop-off in June July and August driven by less indoor activity.
Deputy MacSharry has also called for the period between the first and second jab to be increased to ten weeks
He called on the government to make an advance order for the Sputnik vaccine, pending its EMA approval, and to formally ask the United States for a temporary loan of vaccines to be replenished in mid-June.
Finally, the Sligo based TD suggested the country move to Level 3 restrictions from June 1st and Level 2 from July 1st.
