Watch: Get Vaccinated if You Want to Participate in Society, Senator Tells Ireland

Irish Senator Gerry Horkan has stated that those who wish to “participate in society” must be vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus.

Senator Gerry Horkan, a member of Fianna Fáil, a party currently in government, told Seanad Éireann — the upper house of Ireland’s legislature, roughly equivalent to the UK’s House of Lords — on Tuesday that those who wanted to “participate in society” must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The senator made the comments as he was discussing expanding existing restrictions on unvaccinated people within the Republic of Ireland, which implemented a Covid pass regime back in July of this year.

Since then, only those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or have recovered from the disease within the last six months, are permitted by law to dine indoors, with restrictions subsequently expanded to include nursing homes, cinemas, theatres, nightclubs, as well as certain other events.

Senator Horkan questioned why the existing measures had not yet been extended even further.

“Why not supermarkets? Why not public transport?” Senator Horkan asked.

“If you want to participate in society, you need to be vaccinated,” the senator stated, saying that those who do not want to participate should stay at home.

“You’re putting the rest of us at risk, and you’re putting the economy at risk,” he continued.

In the same sitting, Senator Martin Conway of Fine Gael, another coalition party, also questioned why restrictions against the unvaccinated had yet to be expanded further.

The senator claimed that the “vaccination infrastructure” that had been built by the Irish government was not yet being used “to its optimum” and that he “really believed that the covid certificate should be used far more widely”.

“I cannot understand why the covid certificate isn’t required for access to gyms, hairdressers, hotels, events and other such events that take place around the country (sic),” the senator said.

“I want to see government come out in the next few days with an increased use of the covid certificate that the amount of Irish people, at 95%, have bought into,” Senator Conway demanded, seemingly in reference to the per cent of Ireland’s adult population who are vaccinated.

The current restrictions against unvaccinated individuals in Ireland had been set to expire on October 9th, but the measures were extended, initially to October 22nd, and then again after that, this time with no clear end date.

The Irish government had also come under fire earlier in the year for a months-long ban on all religious services, bar weddings and funerals, a measure referred to as “draconian” by one Catholic archbishop within the country.