Mary Lou McDonald has slammed the Government for treating the young people of Ireland as “a nuisance, a threat and a problem” during Covid.
The Sinn Féin leader was speaking after the latest Covid rules on hospitality that the Government wants to introduce later this summer were announced on Tuesday afternoon.
These would see young, unvaccinated people allowed to serve in pubs and restaurants, but not allowed to be served a meal or a drink there themselves.
Ms McDonald said this latest move was indicative of the “dismissive” way the Government has treated young people throughout the pandemic.
She cited some examples, including the terrible year students have endured, where their education has usually been via Zoom “in a bedroom.”
She said that travel had been curtailed at a time in their lives when it matters most to get out and explore the world.
And she also pointed out the lack of facilities and amenities available to young people over the past 16 months after being told to have an ‘outdoor summer.’
Ms McDonald said: “You now pursue a plan that gives zero consideration to our younger people.”
She added: “Now we find ourselves in the summer months after an extraordinary year, at a time when our young people deserve a break….. they socialise outdoors, most behaving themselves perfectly well, a small element, not all young people by the way, misbehave, and yet all are treated as a nuisance, and a threat, and a problem, and they’re told essentially to get off the streets and to wait for the pubs to reopen.”
