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The government will agree to the “Level 4-plus” restrictions for the entire country for a period of three to four weeks at a specially convened cabinet meeting Monday afternoon, high-level sources said Sunday night.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has asked the state to move to the highest point in the alert plan, Level 5, for six weeks to curb what it describes as an alarming upward trajectory of infection. A record number of new cases was recorded on two consecutive days over the weekend.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, and senior ministers met with Nphet and other officials for 10 hours of discussions on Saturday.
Government sources said on Sunday that while it did not outright reject Nphet’s advice as it did a fortnight ago, the Cabinet would vary its recommendation by raising the status to level 4 with some additional measures, and for a considerably shorter period of time.
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris confirmed Sunday that there would be an escalation. “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, the county-by-county approach will not be enough, so tomorrow we will have to introduce more restrictions.”
Split views
Ministers from the three Coalition parties said on Sunday there were divided opinions within the Cabinet on what additional measures were appropriate.
“There is general agreement that schools should remain open, whatever happens, and that is also Nphet’s view,” said one minister.
However, there is disagreement over travel restrictions and some have argued that more businesses are allowed to remain open under Tier 4.
“The GAA championship should be canceled,” said another minister. “This is an exceptional situation for amateur players. You can’t have people in their own bubbles on the weekend and then work as plumbers or doctors on Monday. “
In a video conference with Fine Gael ministers on Sunday morning, Mr. Varadkar said that it was important that there was “public acceptance” of new measures and that the Government needed to convey a sense of trust and hope.
Harris was one of several ministers who said these restrictions would be markedly different from those in March and April. HSE Executive Director Paul Reid informed ministers on Saturday that capacity was not an issue today, neither for hospitals nor for ICUs.
“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, ”said Green Party leader Eamon Ryan.
Financial cost
Six weeks of Level 4 restrictions nationwide could cost the state a billion euros, some 400 million more than with current restrictions, in support that the government would have to pay to unemployed people and companies forced to close under the new measured, according to estimates.
Another 115,000 faces were out of work at level 4.
A daily record number of new Covid-19 cases was recorded for the second day in a row on Sunday, with 1,283 new confirmed cases of the disease.
There were 31 people in the ICU on Sunday night, according to HSE data. The number in ICU peaked at 160 during the first wave of the virus in April.
Moving from Level 3 to 4 would mean that the number allowed at weddings will decrease from 25 to six, while a move from Level 4 to 5 would mean that outdoor dinners and gatherings of up to 15 people would cease.
People are required to stay home and exercise only 5 km from home on level 5, while levels 3 and 4 are restricted to their county, except for essential purposes.
At level 4, only retailers and businesses that are primarily outdoors can remain open. All other personal and retail services, including the hair salon, will be closed.
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