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The government will agree to more restrictions nationwide tomorrow to stop the spread of coronavirus infections, Continuing and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has twice asked the State to move Level 5, the highest level in the State’s Living With Covid plan, although ministers to date have resisted such a move.
Most of the counties are currently at Level 3, with three of the border counties – Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan, at Level 4.
But pointing to a likely move toward at least Level 4 restrictions, Harris said the Level 3 measure “has not worked in terms of getting the virus where it needs to go,” and the trajectory of the virus worries health officials.
“The Government will act tomorrow. The action will be decisive and the action will be carried out throughout the country, it will be an action at the national level, ”The Week in Politics told RTÉ.
“Now it is clear that the virus is at such a level in all our communities that the county-by-county approach will not be enough, so tomorrow we will have to introduce more restrictions.”
Harris said senior government ministers listened to briefings from the Nphet and the HSE Saturday for four to five hours on health issues, but also heard about the effect of the shutdown earlier this year on society, like an increase in domestic violence. .
“This is different from March and April. We ask people to adopt more restrictions a second time, and we have to balance that with our honest vision of what people can hold and endure, but we will act tomorrow, “he said.
When asked about keeping some businesses open, Harris said the government could not “prolong the inevitable” or do things “in a piecemeal fashion.”
“If we are going to try to recover from this virus, we will have to take decisive action tomorrow and what the Government is trying to do is find that landing point as to what is enough to get us where we are I want, in addition to recognizing many demands different, ”he said.
A meeting of government leaders was dissolved last night without any decision on the level of restrictions to be imposed in the country.
There is no cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday, and the cabinet will meet Monday to discuss next steps.
High sources indicated that on Saturday six of the highest politicians in the State examined the options available to the Government and the implications of the decisions to be taken, amid concerns about the rate of growth of the coronavirus in the Republic.
The meeting was preceded by a private consultation between the two main public health doctors of the State and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Briefings were provided by senior members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) and HSE Executive Director Paul Reid.
Speaking as he left the meeting on Saturday night, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the government shares concerns about rising numbers, which he says are also happening in Europe and the rest of the world. .
“The government has to balance a whole range of variables. Yes, we have to look at the impact of the virus, but also the impacts in many different ways on society and how we respond to it, ”he said.
A government press release following the meeting said presentations were made on the situation across the country regarding the virus, as well as the economic, labor and social implications of moving to more severe restrictions.
“The health team informed the ministers that children were safer in schools, transmission rates are low and that the continuous opening of schools is very important for the development and well-being of children and young people,” he says. the notice.
While no decisions have been 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 on Nphet’s recommendation. . .
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 the Fine Gael cabinet ministers by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, was postponed to 11:00 on Sunday.
The meeting on Saturday evening was attended by Mr. Varadkar, Taoiseach Micheál 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. Mr. Reid also briefed the group.
It is understood that a series of presentations and discussions were held on epidemiology, economics, health system capacity, mental health, communications, as well as the impact of restrictions on households, including domestic violence, youth and the impact of insulation.
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 seriously damaged by the restrictions, and will be further affected by moving to Level 5. “
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