That's according to Kevin Cullinane from Cork Airport
He was speaking after the latest figures show the pandemic has resulted in a loss of €160 million for the operator of Cork and Dublin Airports.
Currently just ten flights a week are operating at Cork Airport, resulting in a 99% decrease in passenger numbers in April and May.
Twenty one million passengers will pass through Cork and Dublin Airports next year, an increase from around 9 million this year, but a decrease of 40% compared to 2019.
Speaking to RedFM News, Kevin Cullinane from Cork Airport says people saw the pandemic as a primarily Chinese issue at the start of the year:
