Lockdown 3.0: Ireland has done well but missed chances to quash Covid-19

The Government has faltered many times, missing opportunities to quash the Covid surge and instead leaving the country open to rolling lockdowns. Photo: Julien Behal

The writing was on the wall for Lockdown 3.0. In the run-up to Christmas, several public health experts warned it was inevitable that the country would face a new round of restrictions in the New Year if we relaxed too soon.

The second Covid-19 wave that emerged in the autumn had not been sufficiently curtailed by December. We did not meet the targets set by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to get the number of new Covid-19 infections down to 100 per day.