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No major decisions are expected tonight on the level of Covid-19 restrictions that will apply to the country, high-level government sources said.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar left the government buildings on Saturday night, with no cabinet meeting taking place on Saturday night or currently scheduled for Sunday.
However, none of the other high-ranking politicians who attended the meeting were seen leaving the building before the meeting ended on Saturday night.
The sources said that the meeting of six of the highest politicians in the state examined the options available to the government and the implications of the decisions to be made.
There is a growing expectation among some cabinet ministers that the country will move to a higher level of alert in the coming days, but will not reach Level 5 for six weeks, a recommendation made by the National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet).
The sources said that a pushback is expected on the implementation of some elements of Level 5, such as the closure of some sectors of the economy, and the stipulation that people must not travel more than five kilometers from their home. Nphet’s recommended six-week duration is also likely to be resisted.
A briefing of Fine Gael cabinet ministers by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, has been postponed until 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
The meeting on Saturday night was attended by Mr. Varadkar, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Minister of Public Expenditure Michael McGrath, Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly. Before it began, the Taoiseach had a private meeting with Dr. Tony Holohan, Medical Director and Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Medical Director.
The two members of Nphet, along with Professor Philip Nolan, who is also part of the team, gave a presentation to the larger group of high-level politicians that lasted for several hours. Paul Reid, CEO of Health Service Executive, also briefed the group.
I spoke to our hospital managers and consultants now. Feedback, 1. Coping but under pressure. 2. Trying to protect non-Covid care 3. Concern that staff will contract viruses in communities at a key time when we need them. Public actions are key now to keep all services running. @HSELive
– Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin)
October 17, 2020
It came as high-level TDs in Government parties raised concerns about the possibility of moving to Level 5. Barry Cowen, TD Offaly and former agriculture minister, tweeted on Friday that the state should “retain Level 3, work with it, implement it, stick with it ”.
He added: “Going to 4 or 5 is running and hiding from Covid.”
Senior Cabinet officials have privately indicated a deep concern about moving to Level 5, with the impact on the economy first on their minds. There are also concerns that the recently announced restrictions have not had a chance to adapt, and that there could be a conflict with the teachers’ unions if the schools remained open.
James Lawless, the TD for Fianna Fáil of Kildare North, told The Irish Times on Saturday that if Level 5 is introduced, the oversight of the school system by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) should increase by doing Covid -19 a notifiable disease. Once a reportable illness case is submitted to the HSA, an inspection follows, he said.
“While transmission among students remains low, schools are also a workplace and the relevant legislation needs to be amended to make Covid-19 a mandatory reportable event. We have tens of thousands of teachers on the front line and they deserve the same protections as other industries, ”Lawless said.
While the overall cabinet mood is against a move to level 5, some sources indicated on Friday that an increase in restrictions may meet less resistance at the cabinet table due to circulating virus levels.
On Saturday, government TDs expressed conflicting views on the possibility of going to level 5. A Fine Gael TD said the government is “damned if we do it and damned if we don’t, the virus is getting out of control, yes the trend continues there, there may be no other option ”.
A Fianna Fáil TD said that the measures introduced during the week should have a chance, and that the impact of the Level 3 restrictions introduced in recent weeks will only become apparent this weekend. The TD said the government should wait, but review the situation in the middle of next week.
Another former minister, Michael Ring, described the proposed change as a “cruel, cruel” move. It is cruel to the elderly, cruel to the young, cruel to people with mental illness and cruel to people who are waiting for all kinds of operations, ”said veteran TD de Mayo.
“The closure has affected many companies, many jobs. People are depressed. They are depressed and depressed.
“The government is handling it badly now. We have to make both political and medical decisions, “he said.
“My recommendation is that we should go back to Level 2, where we at least have a little normality.”
Jim O’Callaghan, Fianna Fáil’s TD for Dublin Bay South, also questioned the wisdom of the move on Friday.
He said that going to Level 5 is not “living with Covid” and urged that the Government “wake up” to the impact of the measures.
“It is, in effect, a blockade,” he said. “When deciding which level to move to, we must take into account the repercussions of moving to level 5. It will have a very negative impact on young people’s lives and mental health.”
“At some point we have to realize the damage we are inflicting on the lives of young people. Their education, employment, hobbies, entertainment and relationships have been hampered or severely damaged by the restrictions, and they will be further damaged if they go to level 5. “
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