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Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told a meeting of his party that a level 5 ‘circuit break’ is still quite possible, 24 hours after his harsh reprimand to Nphet and medical director Tony Holohan.
There were demands from the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting to change the entire mechanism of how Nphet communicates with the government.
Former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said at the meeting that the National Emergency Coordination Group, which was so effective during floods in recent years, should be put on its feet, especially if Covid-19 is here for an extended period. .
It has been said that Mr. Murphy said the benefit of using the NECG would allow a wide range of stakeholders, from Gardai to the Business Department, to participate in key decisions.
In his contribution, Mr. Varadkar said that it was inevitable that the cases would increase over the next two to three weeks.
He said this was the case even with the country on Level 3 restrictions.
According to the sources present, Varadkar made it clear that the country was not ready to return to the blockade as quickly as Nphet required.
It is understood that Mr. Varadkar repeated the points he made on television Monday night to the effect that a second lockdown is not recommended, as many other countries in Europe have higher rates today.
It is understood that the Tánaiste repeatedly refused to rule out a move towards the closure for ‘circuit interruption’, the same situation of which he was so critical on Monday night.
Varadkar is believed to have stressed that, despite the noise surrounding his comments, it is a battle between the people and the virus and not a battle between the government and Nphet.
He said that what has to happen now is the government and Nphet has to be on the same page again.
“We are all good people, we all want the best for our country, we all want to save lives, we want to avoid long-term damage that costs lives. And I think that’s the point of view of the government and Nphet, ”he would have said.
UCC Public Health Professor Ivan Perry said: “Level 3 will make some difference, but it almost certainly prolongs the inevitable. In terms of the economic argument, it’s like having a tooth pulled or a bandage removed quickly – you feel the short, sharp pain right away, but it leads to much less than the prolonged agony down the road.
Cork University Hospital (CUH) infectious disease consultant Dr Corinna Sadlier said the virus is gaining momentum and Cork is particularly vulnerable.
Meanwhile, a Tánaiste spokesperson said he “absolutely” defends the comments he made on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne program.
“There were three points that the Tánaiste was particularly interested in getting across and achieved them quite effectively,” the spokesperson said.
A senior source from Fianna Fáil said, “I don’t think he had to go as far as he did. There was poison coming out of his mouth sometimes I think maybe he went too far.”
However, the minister said: “Some of what he said was very accurate in terms of the way it leaked and the lack of commitment to the government.”
Another Fianna Fáil minister said Varadkar should have found “a more balanced way” to make his point.
“I think the Tánaiste was shooting from the hip and there was probably a private way of handling his own personal frustration about how the news came out.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was “very alarmed” by the “aggressive approach” taken by Varadkar.
Solidarity-PBP TD Paul Murphy said Varadkar had undermined public health councils in a “very cynical and dangerous way.”
Meanwhile, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed that Gardaí will not have criminal power to prevent people from moving from one county to another, but said ignoring a checkpoint would be “a foolish choice.”
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