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THE DÁIL WILL discuss the outbreak of Covid-19 for six hours on Thursday when it reconvenes for its second day since the general election.
Following a case of Covid-19 being confirmed in Northern Ireland last week, there were calls for the Dáil to be recalled by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín.
So far, two cases have been confirmed on the island of Ireland.
The Northern Ireland case was the first to be confirmed.
It’s understood the woman travelled from northern Italy to Dublin via air, and travelled home to Northern Ireland.
She contacted a GP and took steps to self-isolate once she noticed symptoms.
A second case, this time a pupil in a Dublin 9 secondary school was confirmed over the weekend.
Health officials have contacted the school and the principal, staff and parents of pupils of this school have been notified. The school is now set to close for two weeks and contact tracing with all those who came into contact with the patient to be undertaken.
The Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health Dr Tony Holohan has said that the developments do not change the department’s procedures in responding to the virus.
Despite this, Tóibín said it is “disgraceful” that the Dáil is not in session and that TDs are being briefed through the media.
According to the most extensive study done so far, the novel coronavirus was benign in 80.9% of cases, “serious” in 13.8% and “critical” in 4.7%.
The remaining 0.6% was not specified. Part of the reason Covid-19 has been declared a public health emergency is due to the speed at which it has spread compared to other coronaviruses (like Sars and Mers) and the fact that there’s a lot about the disease we still don’t know – including how exactly it’s being transmitted.
TDs returning to Leinster House on Thursday will also hear statements on the European Council meeting.
While the House will reconvene this week, there won’t be another vote held on who should be the next Taoiseach.
The Dáil Business Committee met last week and agreed that no vote should be held as government formation talks are not expected to have progressed significantly.
Two weeks ago, Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald received the most votes to become the next Taoiseach.
However, despite receiving 45 votes, both Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and other smaller parties, such as the Green Party, voted against McDonald in greater numbers, with 84 voting against her and 29 abstentions.
Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar got 36 votes in favour of him continuing as Taoiseach, with 107 votes against and 16 abstentions.
There were 41 votes in favour of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin becoming Taoiseach, with 97 against and 19 abstentions.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan received 12 votes in favour of him as Taoiseach, with 115 votes against and 28 TDs abstaining.
It is not expected that another vote for Taoiseach will take place until after Leo Varadkar returns from the United States following the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House.
The Taoiseach has maintained that the caretaker government still has the authority to deal with all events.
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This is the issue when another business gets involved ie a union, that feels it has to do something to keep its members. They could be on the best terms and conditions and payment in the planet and you would still have issues with union involvement … I think Ryanair were wrong to recognize them …
@Shane Zerbe: They recognised the unions because pilots were already striking. There’s a number of large European low-cost airlines (Norwegian, Easy Jet, Wizz Air, some traditional / flag-carrier airlines) that now provide better pay & benefits than Ryanair for pilots and crew.
If they were willing work with their staff to bring in better pay / conditions then the unions wouldn’t be needed or asked for. They last thing they want is all their pilots to start moving over to other airlines. Emirates is a good example of an airline that is struggling with big pilot shortages over bad pay / conditions and is now badly suffering and having to cancel many flights/routes because of it.
@Shane Corry: yeah that’s the free market working the way it should. There’s no need for union involvement. They’ll end up destroying the airline by going too far. The lunatics always end up running the asylum.
From what I read there is a shortage of pilots worldwide. Why don’t the Ryanair pilots just leave and take a job elsewhere. Surely if there demands are reasonable the other airlines will have no problem in paying up.
@Dave Doyle:
Lots of them did, which is precisely why those that remained were in a strong enough position to demand union recognition from Ryanair.
@Dave Doyle:
“Why don’t the Ryanair pilots just leave and take a job elsewhere?”
They do. Norwegian for example (The biggest european low-cost airline operating the same aircraft type as Ryanair) has been actively poaching many pilots which has partly led to the situation they are in now.
@Shane Corry: Norwegian has failed to return a profit in the last ten years, great to work for though. Long may it continue.
I love Ryanair. I get cheap flights, they arrive on time. During the ash cloud crisis, went to Alicante for 4 nights ended up staying for 12. They paid for my accommodation and food for the extra 8 days we stayed there. Also, Knock airport didn’t charge me for parking my car for the extra days I was away. One of the best holidays, I ever had.
@Maggie O’Sullivan: my flights weren’t cheep, over 1380.00 for 4 of us. If they strike Thursday I hope they treat us like they did you. Here’s hoping.
@Maggie O’Sullivan: I agree completley. People have short memories. Before Ryanair, Aer Lingus had a monopoly in Ireland and were charging extortionate airfares. I remember paying £250 for a flight to London on a cold October day over 30 years ago. The reason the likes of Aer Lingus and BA now have half reasonable airfares is because of Ryanair putting pressure on them. Before Ryanair, only the rich could fly and it seems like many people want to go back to thoes days. I’ve been able to travel all over Europe because of their low fares but some media outlets are even trying to blame Ryanair for cancelling flights because of the french air traffic controllers going on strike. Some people just love complaining.
@Lily: I hope they do!! I’ve never had any faults with them.
@Tom O’Brien: thanks Tom. It’s not even the cheap flights, the passengers bring alot of revenue to other countries which is badly needed. Long live Ryanair, I say!!!!
@Maggie O’Sullivan:
They were legally obliged to pay for your accommodation and food. They fought it every step of the way though.
Hopefully the unions will destroy Ryanair, the company has simply gotten too big for its boots in our socialist republic.
Oh no how will them poor Spanish and Portuguese holiday makers get to costa del Bunmahon now
@liam mc laughlin: bitter much?
@EvieXVI: Get humour much?
I hope Ryanair go bust because they treated me and my family very badly a few years ago.
I am trying to bundle with eir last month or so emailing calling they meant to send me sim card to switch. Every time they to call me back nada. One rep even pretended he d a bereavement to avoid me switching. 180 a month between the 2 bills versus 106 to include mobile in bundle. Any recommendations re leaving eir comreg options etc.
Oh no, how will them poor spani
@liam mc laughlin: Well done Liam
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