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The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Rosin Shortall, has asked the Tananist Leo Varadkar to apologize to the medical director, Dr. Tony Holohan, for criticizing him.
On Monday, Mr. Varadkar criticized Dr. Holohan and Nphet saying that the recommendation to move to Level 5 had not been “thought through” and that there had been no “prior consultation” with the government.
Speaking on RTÉ Monday night, after the government announced that all counties would move to Level 3 starting at midnight Tuesday, Varadkar said the council of the National Public Health Emergencies Team (Nphet) to pass at Level 5 it had “landed on us.” by surprise Sunday night.
However, Dr. Holohan confirmed late Wednesday that he had spoken with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on Sunday morning prior to the meeting and had shared his concerns and those of the team members.
Shortall said that Varadkar was being “very irresponsible” and “playing a dangerous political game.”
He also asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin to “pick up the phone and call the other party leaders” so that there can be a response from all parties to Covid-19.
The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Rosin Shortall, has asked the Tananist Leo Varadkar to apologize to the medical director, Dr. Tony Holohan, for criticizing him. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Ms. Shortall said that Mr. Martin needed to “bring people with him at the political level”, that all political parties should “be on the same page” to take action to “end the virus”.
The government’s response to the virus had to be cross-referenced and based on the best evidence. Safeguards should be put in place at airports and ports, as there is no tracking of travel at this time, he said.
The Government also needed to work with the Northern Irish authorities. Not only are there public health considerations, but all aspects of life must be considered.
It was necessary to focus on where it should be: on the virus. The medical director had said that if strict measures were taken now, the numbers could be lowered in the next three to five weeks.
There was “a very strong case for cracking down right now” to get to a better place in four to six weeks, Ms Shortall added.
Now is not the time for political friction, so the government must include all political parties in the response to the virus, he said.
Ms Shortall also said that it was clear that the Minister of Health and the Taoiseach had been briefed over the weekend by Nphet and the CMO about the concern about the rising numbers, so she couldn’t understand why there was ” surprise “on the recommendation to go to Level 5.
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