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The Taoiseach will meet privately with the state’s two top health officials ahead of a crucial meeting of coalition leaders on Covid-19 restrictions later today.
Micheál Martin will consult with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn prior to the larger political leaders meeting, scheduled for 3pm.
Dr Holohan and Professor Philip Nolan, Chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Modeling Group, will also make a presentation on their concerns about the rapid growth of Covid-19 to political leaders ahead of this afternoon’s meeting.
The meeting will be attended by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath.
According to The Irish Times, Health Service Executive (HSE) CEO Paul Reid will also brief political leaders in advance.
The National Public Health Emergency (Nphet) team recommended that all counties move to Level 5 of the Government’s Living with Covid-19 plan, which would mean that everyone should stay within 5 kilometers of their home.
While it has been suggested that the Level 5 restrictions could last for six weeks, The Irish Times reports that leading government figures have expressed concern that another lockdown could last much longer, with significant economic implications.
Nphet is understood to have written to the government warning of what could happen if his advice is not followed. However, there is a high level of concern among ministers that the warnings do not take into account other health services or the economy.
Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the advice was “very serious” and should be given due consideration.
He said: “We are giving this very active consideration, the advice. The situation is very serious.
“We will need more action in relation to this. When we respond, it will be a comprehensive response. “
But he has not indicated whether the government will accept the advice, which came after a week of record coronavirus cases on the island.
He said, “We have already moved to Level 3, we have already told people not to visit their home.
“We have measures in Ireland that many European countries, although they have higher figures than Ireland, do not have.
“That said, we take Nphet’s advice very seriously. This advice should be taken into account. We want to have the situation well documented, well prepared ”.
Speaking on Friday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar refused to rule out a second coronavirus lockdown.
Varadkar said that moving to Level 5 restrictions would be “difficult”, but did not rule it out.
He told reporters: “I’m not saying that it won’t happen or that it’s discarded or anything like that.
“I think a second time can be difficult for people, for companies. There will be some businesses that may survive losing income for three or four months, but not another period.
“I think that for many people who felt social isolation in the spring, it would be really difficult a second time, especially when we are in winter, with bad weather and dark nights.”
The Health Department announced another 1,000 Covid-19 cases and three deaths of people with coronavirus on Friday, and Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan urged people to reduce social contacts to the “absolute minimum.”
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