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A six-week period of Level 5 restrictions will cost the treasury in the region 1.5 billion euros and some 150,000 jobs, the Tánaiste has said.
The combined cost of three government schemes: the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the Work Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and the Covid Restrictions Subsidy Scheme (CRSS) will be around 200 million euros per week.
When asked about the financial impact of the measures, the Taoiseach said they would be financed through loans, but acknowledged that the long-term impact was significant. “We can do it this year, we can do it next year. We need a vaccine next year, ”he said.
However, Business Minister Leo Varadkar said those figures could be affected by the bankruptcy of companies, which would also affect tax revenues. Varadkar told business leaders that they had done “nothing wrong” in recent months. “In fact, you have done everything right,” he said, adding that the decisions made last night were driven by a “need to reduce the interactions that occur between adults and different households.”
Mr Varadkar said that Ireland is the first country in Europe to return to a national lockdown, but that a “preemptive strike” against the virus was needed “before it is too late”.
He called on commercial landlords to give tenants “a break” and adhere to a recently published code of conduct.
The Tánaiste said that the fear in March was that there would be a second wave, and that “it would come at the worst possible time: winter.” However, he added that the change “was not inevitable” and that by sticking to the restrictions, “we can ensure that the second wave is just a shock wave.”
However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that he thought that Covid-19 would be with the country throughout 2021. He said the Government intends for the country to enter Level 3 on December 1, when the new period of restrictions expires.
“We may lower the levels, but do not rule out going back up.” He said that when restrictions were first relaxed, “we got a reasonable margin.” He said that if “we behave reasonably, we can expect a reopening,” adding that “until we get a vaccine, there is no magic bullet for this.” He said that judging the response to the pandemic “is not an exact science and I think we have to be very clear about it.”
He said “it’s worth a try” and reiterated his view that the country was not ready to move to level 5 when Nphet first applied for it.
Varadkar said the Tier 3 measures did not appear to have the desired effect in Dublin. He defended his recent criticism of Nphet, saying he believes it “(was) valid at the time. I do not think that any government body should be above criticism, “he said.
When asked if he could guarantee that schools would stay open, Martin said “no one can guarantee anything in life … but we will do everything we can.” He said Nphet’s advice was that schools are seeing very low transmission rates and that they are “safe places.” He said he recognized that the current situation is “challenging” for teachers “and I applaud what they are doing.” He said more resources will be provided “to ensure that schools can continue to open.” He said it was vitally important to keep children in schools for developmental reasons, adding that children “cannot become victims of the disease.”
“A child’s development and a child’s life chances are probably the most important things a society can do,” he said.
Eamon Ryan, the Minister of Communications and leader of the Green Party, compared the challenge facing the country to “climbing a really tough mountain … but that’s where we are, we have to climb a little more on this difficult journey.”
The cabinet will consider tomorrow a series of new penalties and penalties to be introduced to monitor the new regulations, the Taoiseach said.
Under the new restrictions, some aspects of the existing Level 3 rules will be retained. For example, wedding ceremonies can be attended by up to 25 people, instead of the six people that would be allowed in Level 5. There will also be a review of the effectiveness of the restrictions after four weeks. Meanwhile, the government agreed to examine the possibility of exiting the lockdown county by county.
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