Coronavirus: Opposition differs on return to mandatory face masks

Opposition parties have differed over whether there should be a return of the legal requirement to wear masks on public transport and in shops due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

Sinn Féin has urged people to follow the current public health advice on the matter, but it is not calling for it to be a requirement by law.

Labour Party health spokesman Duncan Smith said he would like to get an update from State chief medical officer (CMO) Tony Holohan on the infection level and recommended measures to tackle it.

“We support mask wearing on public transport and in crowded indoor settings. If it is recommended that this is made a legal requirement on public health grounds then we would consider that in conjunction with any other recommendations that may be made.”

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Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said: “We believe there needs to be clear and strong advice from Government, along with public health ads, about the importance of mask wearing and good ventilation in all communal indoor settings.”

She said mask wearing should not return as a legal requirement “unless it is official public health advice”.

People Before Profit, meanwhile, said the return of a legal requirement to wear face masks in certain settings would be a “simple measure” that will slow transmission.

The Government has come under pressure to re-examine restrictions due to the surge in cases of the highly transmissible BA.2 variant. The Government's public health advisers have not called for renewed restrictions so far and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said it would take serious measures to contain the spread.

Instead Mr Donnelly has encouraged people who have not yet had a booster dose of the vaccine to avail of it as the “single biggest thing” that can be done to help take pressure off the hospital system.

Justification

Sinn Féin's health spokesman David Cullinane said he was briefed by Mr Donnelly last night and was told that Dr Holohan is not advising a return to restrictions.

He said there is real pressure on hospitals and that is “a major concern” but added that “we also have to trust the public health experts and listen to what they’re saying. And what the CMO is saying in relation to the profile of the disease at the moment is that the sub-variant is highly transmissible but it’s less severe.”

Mr Cullinane added: “Tinkering around the edges with restrictions is not going to make any difference because of the transmissibility of the disease which means the only option is for a full level five lockdown. And I don’t believe there’s any justification for that and public health justification for it”.

On whether Sinn Féin supports a return of a legal requirement to wear facemasks Mr Cullinane replied: “I’m not going to move ahead of the public health advice.”

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said the virus situation is a "crisis" and criticised Mr Donnelly's position which he characterised as being that serious measures would be required to do something about the spread of the virus and "therefore, we shouldn't take any measures".

On masks Mr Murphy said: “I don’t think it’s too much to ask to implement what is being requested by those who are on the front line and to bring back the legal requirement for mask wearing. It’s a quite a simple measure to take now, which will slow the transmission, ease some of the pressure in our hospitals.”