Taoiseach: We will not move country straight to Level 5

Taoiseach Micheál Martin: 'We have a graduated plan as a country, we worked with Nphet on the formulation of a strategy to live with Covid-19 to move to levels on a graduated basis.'

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Government will not move the country straight to Level 5 and will continue with its 'graduated' Covid-19 plan.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) met on Thursday afternoon to discuss the spread of the virus and will provide recommendations to the Government.

On Sunday, a letter stating the advice from Nphet was to move the entire country to Level 5 was leaked to the media, however, the Government chose to instead move the entire country to Level 3, citing economic concerns.

The Taoiseach was today asked if the Government would move the country to Level 5 if Nphet so advised.  

"I don't interfere in Nphet's deliberations. We have a graduated plan as a country, we worked with Nphet on the formulation of a strategy to live with Covid-19 to move to levels on a graduated basis.

"We wanted to give people some sense of what to expect, of what could happen. We want to maintain that graduated response, it could be county-by-county if necessary, we want to maintain flexibility on that.

"The oversight committee met yesterday, and had an exhaustive look at each sector, upping the intensity to make sure we can make Level 3 work, as Level 4 and 5 have serious consequences for economy and society and we take that very seriously."

Fianna Fáil TDs have told the Irish Examiner they believe the letter, which caused chaos on Sunday night, was leaked by someone in Nphet, however, it has been widely speculated that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly passed the letter on to media sources.

"I don't know who leaked that," the Taoiseach said.

"But clearly it (Npeht) is a large body and I can't say one way or another, but it wasn't Stephen Donnelly who leaked it."

The Taoiseach said the Government had moved away from springing new guidelines within 24 hours on the public, noting the effect it had on businesses.

The Taoiseach also rejected any suggestion of an island-wide "circuit-breaker" with the North in order to stem infection, specifically in border counties.

The idea of an island-wide lockdown was raised by Northern Ireland's deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill who noted that any circuit breaker would have to be island-wide in order for it to work due to the open border. 

Speaking at Farmleigh House, Micheál Martin dismissed the idea.

"No we didn't discuss that," he said.

The UK has its own issues and challenges in relation to regional approaches that it is adopting.

"We had a telephone conversation this morning, really around the idea of supporting the North in whatever measures the First Ministers decide to take.

"So that was nature, and there was a very specific discussion around that."

Mr Martin said he made it clear to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday morning following contact the First Minister, Arlene Foster and the Deputy First Minister, O'Neil, that the "situation is very very important in terms of the growing numbers of Northern Ireland and the Nothern Ireland executive needed support."