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1.������ The applicants, who appeared in person, seek the leave of the Court to bring judicial review proceedings challenging the constitutionality of legislation and regulations enacted to arrest the spread of a virus, Covid-19, within the State. The applicants are further challenging the steps taken and the procedures followed by the Oireachtas in enacting the legislation.
2.������ On 4 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (� WHO �) reported on a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, Hubei Province of the People�s Republic of China. Less than three weeks later, 22 January 2020, the WHO issued a statement stating that there was evidence of human to human transmission in Wuhan of such pneumonia disease, and that more investigation was needed to understand the full extent of transmission.�
3.������ On 30 January 2020, the WHO reconvened its Emergency Committee. This Committee reached a consensus and advised that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On 11 February 2020, the WHO advised that this coronavirus disease would be officially named Covid-19. With international travel it was inevitable that Covid-19 would spread well beyond the borders of China.�
4.������ The first country in Europe to experience a significant outbreak of Covid-19 was Italy. The effects on the health service, society and the economy were devastating. It was only a matter of time before Covid-19 spread to Ireland. This happened on 29 February 2020. The first death related to Covid-19 was reported on 11 March 2020, when there were 43 confirmed cases. At the time this application heard before the Court on 5/6 May, in Ireland there were some 22,248 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 1,375 deaths. Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020.
5.������ The first named respondent took a number of measures to halt the spread of Covid-19 and to address the economic and social effects of the virus. Two pieces of legislation were enacted: -
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