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Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that no one in the government had any indication that Level 5 restrictions were being considered as of Sunday.
Speaking of the controversy over the announcement that the highest level of restriction was recommended, Varadkar said it was a shock and that it was unexpected.
On Monday, Mr. Varadkar criticized Dr. Holohan and Nphet (National Public Emergency Team) saying that the recommendation to move to Level 5 had not been “thought through” and that there had been no “prior consultation” with the Government.
However, Dr. Holohan confirmed late Wednesday that he had spoken with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on Sunday morning prior to the meeting and had shared his concerns and those of the team members.
Co-leader of the Social Democrats, Rosin Shortall, previously asked Varadkar to apologize to Dr. Holohan, saying that he was being “very irresponsible” and that he was “playing a dangerous political game.”
He also asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin to “pick up the phone and call the other party leaders” so that there can be a response from all parties to Covid-19.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Ms. Shortall said that Mr. Martin needed to “bring people with him at the political level”, that all political parties should “be on the same page” to take action to “end the virus”.
The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Rosin Shortall, has asked the Tananist Leo Varadkar to apologize to the medical director, Dr. Tony Holohan, for criticizing him. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times.
Speaking in the Dáil on Thursday, Varadkar told Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty that the party’s three government leaders were informed on Saturday that Nphet will meet on Saturday.
“There was no suggestion, not even a hint of level 5 restrictions” at the time, he said.
If they had known they would have sought a briefing on Saturday night, he insisted.
“A decision of such gravity is one that has to be analyzed and commented on.”
Varadkar said Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will make a statement later Thursday.
He rejected Mr. Doherty’s claim that he had “played the man, not the ball” at RTE.
The Tanaiste said in relation to the Medical Director that “I did not say a bad word about him” in the face of some mockery from the opposition. “He is someone I respect immensely.”
“Covid is no one’s fault and no one in government is trying to get involved in any kind of blame game. That’s for others. “
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald previously said that “an artificial dispute” between Nphet and the government was not necessary at this time.
A political “who did it” was not a priority, but absolute clarity was needed on the timeline of when the government was first alerted to the possibility of a move to Level 5.
Work together
Meanwhile, Green Party leader and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the government does not owe an apology to the medical director, Dr. Tony Holohan.
Ryan also said the entire country was not expected to move from Level 2 to Level 5 restrictions in the space of a week.
“I think what we have to do is what Tony himself said, is to work together to fight the disease.
“Who said what on Sunday? I think for the Irish public it is not the key issue. The key question is how we can stop the growth of this virus.
“Tony Holohan met the Taoiseach, met the Tanaiste in the last few days, everyone agrees on that, working together on that approach.
“My own relationship with Tony and Ronan Glynn and anyone in the healthcare system has never been affected in any way during this period. There is a difference of views as to whether we should go to Level 5 and I think that is understandable. “
He also defended Tanaiste’s interview on RTE’s Claire Byrne live show on Monday and said Varadkar was referring to a bunch of Irish people … they were shocked Sunday night when he appeared on the 9 o’clock news.
“There was no expectation that we were going to move as a country effectively from Level 2 to Level 5 in a week. So I think the Tánaiste was expressing what many people felt, but that is not the key issue. The key question is how do we get back to level 2. “
Ryan said the government should wait two to three weeks to see if the “collective effort” has an effect on the number of Covid-19 cases. He said there is “a risk” that the country will face a possible longer lockdown due to moving to Level 3 instead of Level 4 or 5.
However, he added that the psychological, mental and economic well-being of people must also be taken into account.
“If we have to adjust [level restrictions], we will do it. But I would like to see us implement what has been put first, ”he said.
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