Tánaiste tells FG meeting Level 5 'circuit break' is highly possible 

24 hours after delivering a stinging rebuke of Nphet and CMO Dr Tony Holohan, Leo Varadkar tells party level 5 is "highly possible" 

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told a meeting of his party that a level 5 ‘circuit break’ is still highly possible, 24 hours after his stinging rebuke of Nphet and Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.

There were demands from the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting for the entire mechanism of how Nphet communicates with Government to change.

Former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy told the meeting that the National Emergency Coordination Group, which was so effective during flood events in recent years, should be stood up, especially if Covid-19 is here for a prolonged period of time.

The Irish Examiner has been told that Mr Murphy said the benefit of using the NECG would allow a wide range of stakeholders, from the Gardai to the Department of Business have input into key decisions.

In his contribution, Mr Varadkar said that it was inevitable that cases will rise for the next two to three weeks.

He said this was the case even with the country at Level 3 restrictions.

According to sources present, Mr Varadkar made clear the country was not ready to return to lockdown so swiftly as required by Nphet.

It is understood Mr Varadkar repeated points he made on TV on Monday night to the effect that moving to a second lockdown was not recommended as many other countries in Europe have higher rates at present.

It is understood the Tánaiste repeatedly refused to rule out a move to the ‘circuit break’ lockdown, the very situation he was so critical of on Monday night.

Mr Varadkar is believed to have stressed that despite the noise around his comments, it is a battle between the people and the virus and not a battle between Government and Nphet.

He said that what has to happen now is government and Nphet have to get back on the same page.

“We are all good people, we all want what is best for our country, we all want to save lives, we want to avoid long term damage that cost lives. And I think that's the view of government and Nphet,” he reportedly said.

UCC Health expert says a move to level 3 is prolonging the inevitable 

UCC Professor of Public Health, Ivan Perry said: “Level 3 will make some difference but it is almost certainly prolonging the inevitable. In terms of the economic argument, it’s like having a tooth extracted or a bandage ripped off quickly — you feel the short, sharp pain immediately, but it leads to far less than the prolonged agony down the road.

Infectious diseases consultant at Cork University Hospital (CUH), Dr Corinna Sadlier, said the virus is gaining momentum, with Cork particularly vulnerable.

Meanwhile a spokesperson for the Tánaiste said he "absolutely" stands over remarks he made on RTÉ's Claire Byrne show.

"There were three points that the Tánaiste was particularly keen to get across and he got them across fairly effectively," the spokesperson said.

One senior Fianna Fáil source said: "I don't think he needed to go as far as he did. There was venom coming from his mouth at times I think he went too far maybe.

However, the minister said: "Some of what he said was very accurate in terms of the manner in which it was leaked and the lack of engagement with Government."

Another Fianna Fáil minister said Mr 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 managing his own personal frustration around how the news emerged."

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was "very alarmed" by the "aggressive approach" taken by Mr Varadkar.

Solidarity-PBP TD Paul Murphy said Mr Varadkar had undermined public health advice in a "very cynical and dangerous way".

Meanwhile Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed that gardaí will have no penal power to stop people from moving from county to county, but said that to ignore a checkpoint would be “a foolish choice”.