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People across the country today are playing a game of anxious waiting ahead of a government announcement on the new Covid-19 restrictions.
We look forward to hearing tonight what next month will look like, with “level four or higher” measures, the most stringent since the national shutdown in the spring, likely to go into effect.
Everyone has an opinion on the government’s strategy to fight the virus – some say we should try to squash the virus, while others believe we should figure out how to live with it.
But what about those whose voices carry the most weight: political leaders? This is what the main politicians of our country have said in recent days.
Fianna Fail
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has repeatedly tried to cross the line between managing the number of cases and maintaining some level of economic and social activity.
He is the head of a government that two weeks ago rejected public health councils recommending going to level five, opting instead to impose less drastic restrictions.
(Image: Julien Behal Photography / PA Wire)
But with the number of cases on the rise, Mr Martin said on Friday the Government is giving “very active consideration” to new recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team of Ireland (NPHET) that we should move to the level five.
“I agree with NPHET in terms of the priorities we all share, in terms of protecting the vulnerable and the elderly from the coronavirus and making sure our children can continue to attend schools,” he said.
Mr. Martin has often said that maintaining schools and nurseries is a priority for the Government. It remains to be seen how feasible this will be when new restrictions take effect.
Fine gael
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar often has a challenging voice of late when it comes to the implications of NPHET advice.
It launched a devastating attack on medical director Dr. Tony Holohan two weeks ago when the government rejected an NPHET proposal to move to level five.
Now, the State is weighing the same proposal again, and Mr. Varadkar appears to have softened his position amid a rapidly increasing number of cases.
He said over the weekend that a second shutdown would be more difficult than the previous shutdown, and that the public would want and expect to know an “exit strategy” if it was implemented.
And he warned that imposing a lockdown now might not be enough to save Christmas: “The opinion I sometimes hear from retailers and restaurateurs is ‘let’s close now and we can reopen and have a normal Christmas,’ but I would be reluctant to make that promise.” .
Green Party
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan told reporters Saturday night that the government has to weigh “so many different variables” before making a decision on new measures.
After hours of meetings between high-ranking ministers and public health officials, Ryan said the government shares NPHET’s concerns about the increasing number of cases.
(Image: Tom Honan / PA Wire)
But he declined to comment on the details of what Ireland’s strategy should look like in the immediate term, insisting that “a lot of analysis needs to be done.”
“It is complex. The government has to balance a whole range of variables.
“You don’t want to rush. Sometimes the right decision can take a little time. I don’t think we should rule anything out. “
Ourselves
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has argued that Ireland’s Covid-19 figures are not sustainable.
This morning, Ms. McDonald said that her party would support the government if it takes steps to introduce new measures, but warned that “additional restrictions must be accompanied by additional supports and protections.”
He also claimed that it is dangerous for the North and the Republic of Ireland to follow separate Covid-19 strategies.
“It is extremely useless – in fact, I think it is dangerous, it is not good for the protection of public health – that we have two different approaches,” he said.
“We have two sets of councils on the island of Ireland: one in the north and one in the south.”
Work
The Labor Party has been persistently critical of the government’s Living with Covid plan, arguing that it is causing confusion and concern among the public.
The party held an emergency meeting last week to discuss the situation, and leader Alan Kelly has urged the government to “change course” when it comes to its strategy.
Kelly criticized the government for the modifications it has made to the five-step plan at various points.
He said confusion over where different parts of the country are at means that people will use the Living with Covid plan to “light the fire” rather than follow it.
“There is absolute confusion out there,” he said.
“We have a country at one level, level three. We have Dublin on a slightly hybrid level, and now we have everyone else in the country, so home visiting is prohibited except when someone is vulnerable, or for childcare or essential purposes. “
People before profits: solidarity
People Before Profit – Solidarity has strongly called for the removal of the virus, what the party calls a “zero Covid” strategy.
Richard Boyd Barrett said last week that “the north and south strategy is not working” and called for an Ireland-wide approach to tackle the pandemic.
“I think the government denies it,” he said.
“If infections continue at the current rate, as soon as our ICU reaches capacity, we will end up locked up anyway.
“I think we have to face that reality, and we need a strategy, and I think we should adopt the zero Covid strategy that many of the infectious disease experts advocate.”
Social democrats
Social Democratic leader Róisín Shortall has frequently criticized the government for excluding opposition leaders from the decision-making process when it comes to managing the pandemic.
Ms. Shortall said the government’s strategy has been to “muddle through.”
“The reality is that the government is not engaging in any consultation with the opposition parties,” he said.
“So we are very out of the room. We are not aware of the type of advice, data, models and tests that NPHET is providing to the government.
“I have asked the Taoiseach on several occasions over the past few months to consider an all-party approach to this.”
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