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If approved by the Cabinet, as expected, this will be the first time the government has rejected meaningful advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team and is preparing to chart its own course.
Ministers are well aware that big political decisions like this one can have big consequences, but the Cabinet seems willing to go ahead with Level 3 restrictions rather than Level 5.
A senior government source told me that while ministers took NPHET’s concerns “very seriously” regarding the exponential growth of Covid-19, there was “resistance” to moving to Level 5 “at this time.”
The opposition parties will want to know much more about this “resistance” and it is likely that tomorrow will be the focus of the debate in the Dáil.
For example, David Cullinane from Sinn Féin said that it is very serious and requires an explanation: why NPHET recommends one thing, but the government ends up doing another.
Another big question is how the relationship between the Government and NPHET will be affected by today’s outcome.
Could today’s rejection by the Government of the NPHET council lead to an ongoing battle between the two parties as the new policy takes hold?
There was also some veiled criticism of NPHET’s handling of matters by the government.
A senior source told me that the perception created today of “doctors versus politicians” “should never have been allowed to reach this point of confrontation.”
It is worth noting that the government did not reject everything established by NPHET, which called for a renewed commitment to enforce regulations. That will be part of the Cabinet plan.
However, the bridges need to be rebuilt. And fast.
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