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The Minister of Continuing and Higher Education, Simon Harris, has said that the level 3 Covid-19 restrictions do not work.
“The Government will act tomorrow. The action will be decisive and will be throughout the country, ”he said.
Harris said the government needed to balance the restrictions “with our honest opinion about what the people can bear or hold.”
He said it was now clear that the virus was at such a level that a county-by-county approach would not work. He said the trajectory was causing great concern to public health officials.
Harris told RTÉ’s The Week in Politics that the government needed to take other factors into account. He said domestic violence tripled during March and April. He said these restrictions would be different.
A meeting of government leaders was dissolved last night without any decision on the level of restrictions to be imposed in the country.
There is no cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday, and the cabinet will meet Monday to discuss next steps.
High sources indicated that on Saturday six of the highest politicians in the State examined the options available to the Government and the implications of the decisions to be taken, amid concerns about the rate of growth of the coronavirus in the Republic.
The meeting was preceded by a private consultation between the two main public health doctors of the State and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Briefings were provided by senior members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) and HSE Executive Director Paul Reid.
Leaving the meeting, the leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, said that the Government shares concerns about the increase in the figures, which, according to him, are also taking place in Europe and the rest of the world.
“The government has to balance a whole range of variables. Yes, we have to look at the impact of the virus, but also the impacts in many different ways on society and how we respond to it, ”he said.
A government press release following the meeting said presentations were made on the situation across the country regarding the virus, as well as the economic, labor and social implications of moving to more severe restrictions.
“The health team informed the ministers that children were safer in schools, transmission rates are low and that the continuous opening of schools is very important for the development and well-being of children and young people,” he says. the notice.
While no decisions have been made, there is a growing expectation among some cabinet ministers that the country will move to a higher level of alert in the coming days, but will not reach Level 5 for six weeks on Nphet’s recommendation. . .
The sources said that a pushback is expected on the implementation of some elements of Level 5, such as the closure of some sectors of the economy, and the stipulation that people must not travel more than five kilometers from their home. Nphet’s recommended six-week duration is also likely to be resisted.
A briefing of the Fine Gael cabinet ministers by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, was postponed to 11:00 on Sunday.
The meeting on Saturday night was attended by Mr. Varadkar, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Minister of Public Expenditure Michael McGrath, Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly. Before it began, the Taoiseach had a private meeting with Dr. Tony Holohan, Medical Director and Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Medical Director.
The two members of Nphet, along with Professor Philip Nolan, who is also part of the team, gave a presentation to the larger group of high-level politicians that lasted for several hours. Mr. Reid also briefed the group.
It is understood that a series of presentations and discussions were held on epidemiology, economics, health system capacity, mental health, communications, as well as the impact of restrictions on households, including domestic violence, youth and the impact of insulation.
It came as high-level TDs in Government parties raised concerns about the possibility of moving to Level 5. Barry Cowen, TD Offaly and former agriculture minister, tweeted on Friday that the state should “retain Level 3, work with it, implement it, stick with it ”.
He added: “Going to 4 or 5 is running and hiding from Covid.”
Senior Cabinet officials have privately indicated a deep concern about moving to Level 5, with the impact on the economy first on their minds. There are also concerns that the recently announced restrictions have not had a chance to adapt, and that there could be a conflict with the teachers’ unions if the schools remained open.
James Lawless, the TD for Fianna Fáil of Kildare North, told The Irish Times on Saturday that if Level 5 is introduced, the oversight of the school system by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) should increase by doing Covid -19 a notifiable disease. Once a reportable illness case is submitted to the HSA, an inspection follows, he said.
“While transmission among students remains low, schools are also a workplace and the relevant legislation needs to be amended to make Covid-19 a mandatory reportable event. We have tens of thousands of teachers on the front line and they deserve the same protections as other industries, ”Lawless said.
While the overall cabinet mood is against a move to level 5, some sources indicated on Friday that an increase in restrictions may meet less resistance at the cabinet table due to circulating virus levels.
On Saturday, government TDs expressed conflicting views on the possibility of going to level 5. A Fine Gael TD said the government is “damned if we do it and damned if we don’t, the virus is getting out of control, yes the trend continues there, there may be no other option ”.
A Fianna Fáil TD said that the measures introduced during the week should have a chance, and that the impact of the Level 3 restrictions introduced in recent weeks will only become apparent this weekend. The TD said the government should wait, but review the situation in the middle of next week.
Another former minister, Michael Ring, described the proposed change as a “cruel, cruel” move. It is cruel to the elderly, cruel to the young, cruel to people with mental illness and cruel to people who are waiting for all kinds of operations, ”said veteran TD de Mayo.
“The closure has affected many companies, many jobs. People are depressed. They are depressed and depressed.
“The government is handling it badly now. We have to make both political and medical decisions, “he said.
“My recommendation is that we should go back to Level 2, where we at least have a little normality.”
Jim O’Callaghan, Fianna Fáil’s TD for Dublin Bay South, also questioned the wisdom of the move on Friday.
He said that going to Level 5 is not “living with Covid” and urged that the Government “wake up” to the impact of the measures.
“It is, in effect, a blockade,” he said. “When deciding which level to move to, we must take into account the repercussions of moving to level 5. It will have a very negative impact on young people’s lives and mental health.”
“At some point we have to realize the damage we are inflicting on the lives of young people. Their education, employment, hobbies, entertainment and relationships have been hampered or seriously damaged by the restrictions, and will be further affected by moving to Level 5. “
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