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After more than nine months and more than 69,000 cases of the disease, the state surpassed the milestone of 2,000 Covid-related deaths yesterday, when medical director Tony Holohan urged people to “work together” to suppress further spread of the virus. .
But there was further evidence of division between the government and its public health advisers. Senior officials are said to have clashed with Dr. Holohan during a meeting yesterday as efforts continue in the government to come up with a plan to get out of lockdown and manage the pandemic over the Christmas period.
According to three sources with knowledge of the meeting, senior officials emphasized to Dr. Holohan that the Government, not the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), would make decisions on the relaxation of the closure and the restrictions that would be applied during Christmas.
Officials, including Taoiseach Department Secretary General Martin Fraser, the state’s highest-ranking official, also complained to Dr. Holohan that Nphet members were seeking to pressure the government with a series of appearances in the media.
One source said it was “clear” to Nphet “that the government will make the decision” on the reopening, scheduled for December 1. Another source confirmed that Nphet’s “media strategy” was strongly criticized as some senior officials believed that its members sought to influence government decisions through the media.
The government faces far-reaching decisions within the next 10-day week on ending the blockade, reopening business and social life, and how it will handle the pandemic during December and the Christmas period.
Yesterday, Dr Holohan, reflecting on the death toll, said the pandemic has “affected, directly and indirectly, families and communities across Ireland.” With the Level 5 lockdown expiring on December 1, Dr. Holohan urged the public “for the next two weeks, work from home, stay home, and follow public health advice.”
Nphet reported the death of another 12 people with Covid-19 yesterday, bringing the total to 2,006. Nphet also reported another 379 confirmed cases of the disease. Nphet will meet today to discuss current trends.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told RTÉ that people “have not been able to cry as they normally would” and described the 2000 milestone as a “sobering day.”
Main topic
The issue of getting out of the Level 5 lockdown was the main topic of discussion last night at the parliamentary meetings of the two main Coalition parties. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told a Fianna Fáil meeting that the government will make a decision on lifting the Level 5 lockdown next week and that there will be a Dáil debate on the issue beforehand. He said he wanted Christmas to be “meaningful, enjoyable and safe” and that it would be about “trusting the public with their personal behavior.”
He also argued that the Republic is doing well in controlling the disease compared to most European countries.
The meeting also heard calls to clarify whether the pubs will be allowed to open at Christmas. Sen. Lisa Chambers said pubs are being pressured to order kegs in time for Christmas if they are to open, but expressed the belief that they couldn’t and that the public may not want to go to a pub even if they were open.
At the Fine Gael meeting, the TDs asked the Cabinet to begin consulting with the church on the plan for Christmas. Former Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said advance planning was essential and should include “celebrating the feast of Christmas through Christian worship.”
Elsewhere, the government is seeking Dáil approval for another € 514 million in funding for the health service this year. The money is intended to cover the costs in 2020 of the government’s € 600 million general winter plan for the health service that will run until next spring. There will also be additional funding or Covid-related expenses in the supplemental estimate.
The supplemental estimate that the Department of Health seeks will also seek to offset the income of private patients in public hospitals that was expected to generate this year but that was reduced as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions.
In the summer, the Dáil approved an additional expenditure of almost 2 billion euros in additional funds for the Department of Health, in large part to address Covid-19.
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