TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said he plans to have the roadmap for lifting the restrictions ready for approval by Cabinet tomorrow.
Speaking in the Dáil, Varadkar said there would be a number of phases, with two to four weeks between each phase.
He also outlined the five tests to be taken on board when considering the lifting of restrictions:
“We will intervene earlier if necessary. Restrictions may have to be reintroduced if it looks like the virus is going to surge back. We expect to have this plan completed tomorrow for approval by Cabinet,” said Varadkar.
He said to date, the government’s strategy has been “comprehensive, far-reaching and inclusive”.
So far, 150,000 tests have been carried out in Ireland, he said stating that this makes Ireland sixth out of 27 EU countries on a per capita basis.
Varadkar added:
“‘Recently, there has been much public focus on nursing homes and rightfully so, this is an area where much work has been going on behind the scenes for a considerable period to protect as many people as possible.”
He said he is also concerned about reports that people are not presenting for other medical care, stating that he spoke to a doctor yesterday who had not treated anyone for cancer in a number of weeks, something he had not experienced before. He urged people to attend their GP if needed.
He said there is light at the end of the tunnel, however he said that “we are still in the tunnel, and we’ve some distance to go”.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the public have been willing to follow the measures up to now, but added the government should not take that as permission to limit debate and to expect that people will simply wait to be told what they may be allowed to know.
“The government should never forget that Dáil Éireann, much of the media and of course the Irish people have been willing to suspend much of the assertive oversight which a free democracy like ours insists on. This should not be taken as permission to limit debate and to expect that people will simply wait to be told what they may be allowed to know.
“In fact, the only reasonable response to the controls which we have collectively accepted on our rights is for government to actually increase transparency and meaningful consultation. Every significant study ever undertaken into the response to major emergencies has shown that trust depends on transparency – and effectiveness depends on allowing different voices into discussions.
“As we continue to move away from initial and most severe phase of responding to the pandemic there are many hundreds of decisions to be taken which will impact on the health and livelihood of different sectors and communities. They must be given a proper role in discussions,” he said.
Martin added that there are many hundreds of decisions to be taken which will impact on the health and livelihood of different sectors and communities.
Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald said some members of the government have created an impression that 5 May would be a red letter day when we would all be free of coronavirus restrictions. She said that was unfair.
On the issue of testing, McDonald said she was concerned that the 100,000 per week testing target was described as aspirational. She said such a level of testing is needed if we are to move on lifting the restrictions.
“We are not going to carry out random testing,” said Varadkar, who said the target isn’t to hit 100,000 tests per week, but to reach the capacity of doing 100,000 tests within that period.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said he hopes to see some tweaks and easing of the restrictions tomorrow. “We can trust people to do social distancing,” he said, adding that he attended a funeral today where only ten people were only allowed in the funeral home.
He said testing is also an issue. His son was tested nearly 35 days ago, and he still has not received a result. He is in good health now, but he said many families have these stories around the country.
Labour leader Alan Kelly raised the issue of transparency. He raised similar concerns last week in relation to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
He told the Dáil that we still don’t know why minutes aren’t recorded and signed off on after each NPHET meeting, why letters from NPHET to the Health Minister Simon Harris and the Department of Health have not been published.
“What is there to hide behind,” he asked, adding that “transparency isn’t a luxury in our democracy”.
He said NPHET need to appear before the House, in some form, stating that a Covid-19 committee also needs to be established. As much as we “deride the UK”, it happens there, said Kelly.
Kelly also told the law that in his view NPHET and the health minister “legally overstepped the mark when it comes to testing”.
He said the Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and NPHET have demanded tests beyond HSE capacity.
Kelly said it was mentioned that reaching such a level of testing was conditional for lifting the restrictions. “Now that seems to have changed,” he said.
The Labour leader said the HSE could not deliver on such a ramping up of testing as they didn’t have control over all the levers.
“All government actions have to have a basis in law, the actions here didn’t,” he said.
The Taoiseach cannot “dangle” peoples’ freedom in front of them, tell them they must adhere to the rules and then we will give you were freedom, said Kelly, stating that this relationship with the public must be built on trust.
“The Irish people have been patient,” said Kelly. He added that older people feel patronized, and he urged the Taoiseach to give people “hope this weekend however small”.
“These need to be your decisions, not NPHET’s or the CMO’s,” said Kelly.
Social Democrats co-leader Roísín Shortall said the the public will not comply with the restrictions for much longer if the government does not live up to its side of the deal.
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