Heartless refusal of Government to consider new long covid scheme

• 159 healthcare workers with long-covid will be abandoned as workers lose full pay due to winding down of special scheme on the 31st of December.
• Ireland among small number of EU countries to have not recognised Covid-19 as an occupational illness.
• Heartless decision by Government not to put in place a new scheme for the small number of essential healthcare workers whose lives have been turned upside down by long-covid.

Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD has called out the Government's heartless refusal to extend the temporary scheme of paid leave for health service employees with long-covid which is due to expire on the 31st of December 2025. Deputy Sherlock raised the matter with the Minister for Health in the Dáil today.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“The decision by Government to abandon these healthcare workers with long-covid who gave so much of themselves working on the frontline in response to the COVID pandemic is both cruel and degrading. It seems as if the Government has amnesia when it comes to the sacrifices of these healthcare workers, all of whom want to work but simply cannot. Unfortunately, long-covid sufferers will face cliff edge when a replacement long term scheme should have been put in place some time ago.

“I am calling on the Minister for Health to intervene here and champion these workers. I have spoken to so many of these workers with long-covid who are worried about how they will keep a roof over their head or pay their bills after January. For this decision to take effect over the Christmas period is another gut punch for these workers, many of whom are suffering from debilitating symptoms, including extreme fatigue, heart issues, and difficulty breathing.

“It is heartless that the Taoiseach is refusing to recognise COVID-19 as an occupational illness, as is the case in most EU countries, and is refusing to extend the temporary scheme any further. We went from applauding our healthcare heroes to essentially telling them to get over it.

“The Minister for Health stated that these workers must now revert to the standard sick leave scheme. However, Government should introduce new long-covid scheme from the start of 2026.

“The sick leave scheme is not good enough as it only lasts for six months and not all people qualify for extended sick pay under the critical illness protocol and the Temporary Rehabilitation Remuneration (TRR), the latter being only 37.5% of a salary. This is a complete insult to these workers, their sacrifice, and to the injuries which they acquired in the course of their work.

“This issue will not quietly go away as the Government may hope. These workers need our support. I am calling on the Government, the Minister for Health, and the HSE to intervene to reverse this cruel decision and to extend supports to protect the incomes of these workers suffering from this debilitating condition."