LEO VARADKAR says a “short, hard lockdown” or circuit break is being considered by the government in an attempt “to knock the virus on the head again”.
The Tánaiste made the suggestion in an article for the Sunday Independent in which the Fine Gael leader insisted any and all options would be explored before a second lockdown was implemented.
Varadkar’s comments come a week on from the National Public Health Emergency Team’s (NPHET) recommendation that Ireland go into a Level 5 lockdown – the strictest level of lockdown – to help curb Covid-19 case numbers.
However, the government opted to implement Level 3 restrictions, with Varadkar later telling RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live he didn’t believe the recommendations had been “thought through”.
In the past 24 hours, a further 1,012 new cases were confirmed in Ireland with chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan issuing a statement saying he was “very worried about the numbers and how quickly they are deteriorating”.
Writing in the Sunday Independent, the Tánaiste reiterated his belief that despite the rising case numbers Level 5 restrictions would have grave consequences for many.
“So when the politicians and senior civil servants sat around the table the next day we had to consider the bigger picture: what a sudden move to Level 5 would mean for jobs, livelihoods, mental health and family life,” he said.
“We were unanimous in our view that the country was not ready for a second lockdown and that we should move to Level 3 restrictions first, with the option of further restrictions if required.”
GettyVaradkar instead floated the idea of a circuit breaker lockdown, which entail a short, sharp period of tightened restrictions.
New Zealand, who have won praise for their handling of the pandemic, have implmented circuit breaker lockdowns alongside contact tracing.
“This would represent a short, hard lockdown to knock the virus on the head again, and reduce case numbers to a manageable level. Similar to a second lockdown – but not as long,” Varadkar said.
“It may well be needed at some point. No other country in Europe has tried this. It would be an experiment but it could work. In Israel is seems to be producing results.
“I know some say that a circuit break could save Christmas. I am not so sure. The problem is that when you’re in full lockdown it’s difficult to get out of it. As we’ve already learned, reopening is a lot harder than locking down.”
Varadkar said that any circuit breaker lockdown would need to be implemented with a target for dropping case numbers in mind.
He also stressed that the government would implement support for businesses that would have to close.
