IT WAS JUST after 7am when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar emerged from Blair House – a place where foreign dignitaries stay when visiting US President Donald Trump at the White House.
It was still dark outside, but the Irish media had got wind that a big announcement was to come.
The night before, events had escalated.
The Taoiseach was whisked out of the Irish Funds Gala dinner by his officials for a briefing after Trump announced his travel ban for some European countries – not including Ireland or the UK, it later emerged.
This morning, Varadkar struck a sombre tone when he looked down the TV camera lens and said he had to talk about the coronavirus.
Schools, colleges and childcare centres in Ireland will have to close for two weeks, he said, in what has been described as an unprecedented lockdown sparked by the outbreak of coronavirus.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said large indoor and outdoor gatherings would have to be cancelled, while the country’s army is ready to respond to requests for emergency help.
Home working is encouraged and socialising should be limited, he said.
While Varadkar said the government plans to ensure the food supply chain remains uninterrupted and shops are to stay open, the words didn’t appear to transcend across the Atlantic, where Irish shoppers stocked up on trolley-loads of food.
“We have not witnessed a pandemic of this nature in living memory. This is uncharted territory,” he said, before leaving in his cavalcade to have the traditional breakfast with Vice President Mike Pence.
While last year his speech was well-received at the event, this year, like much of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, it was pared back. No media were allowed in but during his speech, he told Pence Ireland wants to “broker for stronger partnerships” between the EU and the US.
“In responding to the threats we face today – whether climate change or the Covid 19, shifting demographics, migration or international security – the solutions will be found by working together,” he said.
The next stop for Varadkar was the Oval Office at the White House.
There had been concerns that the event would be closed to the media. This did not come to pass. However, the traditional Shamrock Ceremony was cancelled last minute due to the threat of coronavirus, as the event had more than 100 attendees.
Instead, a bowl of green shamrock was placed between Varadkar and Trump. While the scrum of photographers perhaps didn’t get to capture their money shot of the bowl being handed to Trump, the priceless photo of the day ended up being Trump and Varadkar greeting one another with namaste gestures.
The two leaders were quizzed about whether they had shook hands. Leading by example, Trump said they looked at each other and didn’t know what to do. Varadkar said it was a bit awkward not shaking hands – while the US president said he was never big on handshakes anyway.
While concerns mounted about the measures being taken back home to stop the spread of coronavirus – Trump faced questioning about his own actions in relation to the travel ban and the reasoning behind it.
Over the last week, the TV networks in the US have criticised the president for mixed messaging about Covid-19 and for the lack of testing taking place. The measures are significantly more lax than what has been announced in Ireland, though there have been cancellations of events such as the St Patrick’s Day parades in New York and Boston.
When asked about Ireland not being included in the ban, the president said the reason the UK was not included in his Covid-19 travel ban was down to its strong borders. It was noticed on social media that Trump seemed to be correlating the two countries.
Trump said: “It has got very strong borders and they are doing a very good job. They don’t have very much infection at this point and hopefully they will keep it that way.”
Varadkar was forced to jump in to offer some clarity that Ireland was also exempt, due to the presence of US border security in Ireland, at Dublin airport.
“I was through it myself yesterday. They were asking the right questions,” he said.
Trump said he hoped the pandemic would “work out well for everyone”, but added there was reason to briefly restrict some movement between parts of the world.
“It is a world problem and we do need separation in terms of, you have some areas that are very heavily infected and you have some areas that are not.
“We do need separation for a little period of time.”
The differing degree at which countries are taking action against the spread of coronavirus was a topic of conversation throughout the day. Was Varadkar happy that the US was doing enough? And in comparison, does he think the drastic measures taken back home have caused a panic.
Speaking to reporters, Varadkar said what it boils down to is public health. He said the actions were taken to close schools and urge people to work at home, if possible, on the back of expert advice, though he said he appreciated that other countries are not taking as drastic actions as Ireland.
“We’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to issues of human health and human life,” he said.
One thing that is notably different Stateside is there is no panic buying – something the Taoiseach urged people at home not to do. The shelves will be restocked tomorrow, so there is no need to fill the trolleys this evening, he said.
While mass gatherings have been restricted both in Washington DC and in Ireland, the House Speaker’s luncheon, held every year on Capitol Hill, went ahead today. Hosted by Nancy Pelosi – there was a lot of talk about protecting the Good Friday Agreement and Varadkar’s past life when he interned as a tour guide on the Hill.
One notable absentee guest this year was President Trump.
The luncheon is one of only two times the president enters Capitol Hill each year, but it is no secret that there is no love lost between Pelosi and Trump. When asked why he wasn’t attending today, he told reporters he was busy and had better things to do.
There was no Sláinte to a pint of Guinness this time around, a more reserved tone was struck in light of the Covid-19 crisis.
With that, Varadkar left Capitol Hill, returned to Blair House and spoke to the Irish media about the range of supports on offer to people who find themselves out of work or without childcare in the weeks ahead.
He said he did question whether he should have come to Washington DC at all given the level of concern back home, but in 36 hours he managed to have many crucial meetings that he felt were necessary, he said.
Government formation talks, which are temporarily suspended, await back home, but Varadkar said these issues should not prevent a government being formed.
With the day wrapped up, Varadkar is due back on a flight to Dublin tonight.
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