A chara, – Your editorial on the proposed inquiry into Ireland’s handling of Covid-19 (January 2nd) claims that Ireland’s performance during Covid was “pretty good” and it is noted that our “excess death rates were considerably lower than many comparable countries”.
Is it not premature to be making such claims before any inquiry has taken place? With respect to The Irish Times, it is commentary of this type which makes an inquiry all the more important.
We need to establish whether our “good performance” was down to the measures taken or other factors (such as our young population, for example).
Our excess death rate was low during the restrictions but it has been considerably higher than the EU average since they were ended. We need to understand why this is the case and if it relates to the restrictions in any way.
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The terms of reference for any inquiry must be sufficiently broad to properly assess our performance and the issues that arise. – Yours, etc,
REAMONN O’LUAN,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.
