England's lockdown lifting 'too risky' and could have 'spillover effect' on Ireland, Varadkar warns

Leo Varadkar said that if things go wrong in England, it could have a spillover effect in Ireland.

The Tanáiste has criticised the British Government’s plan to strip away most of England’s coronavirus restrictions, saying the move is “too risky" and could have implications here.

On Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his Downing Street press conference to set out what Step 4 of his plans to end lockdown restrictions in England will look like.

Included in this phase, which is expected to begin on July 19, mask-wearing will no longer be a legal requirement nor will social distancing in most cases. Nightclubs will also be able to reopen.

Speaking in Dublin on Tuesday, Leo Varadkar said that if things go wrong in England, it could have a spillover effect in Ireland.

“What was announced in England yesterday in my view was too risky.

“The prospect of packed theatres in the West End and nightclubs in Manchester being packed to the rafters is one that would concern us in this country quite frankly,” the Fine Gael leader said.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar described plans in England as ‘too risky’

“If things go wrong in England, it will have a spillover effect in Ireland and on our other neighbours.

“They are saying they can withstand 50,000 cases a day without having a serious impact on the NHS and I think that’s a bit of a gamble and it’s a gamble we are not going to take here.

However, the Tanáiste said we need to avoid getting back into "a spiral of fear." 

"The Delta wave is happening but it will be different to other waves and that’s because of the vaccination programme.

“A thousand cases a day, even 2,000 cases a day in a few weeks’ time is not the same as a thousand cases a day back in January.

"That’s because the link between the cases of infections and hospitalisations and deaths – and that’s what really matters – is considerably weakened, not broken.

“Bear in mind if the number of people in ICU trebled, it would still be less than 50 people in ICU, and we were easing restrictions when there were 50 people in ICU.

“If the number of people in hospitals quadrupled, it’s still about 200 people in hospital in a system with 11,000 beds."

Minister Varadkar said we need to make sure we understand that this Delta wave is going to be different.

"It’s a wave that is happening but is one we can withstand and that is what we intend to do through vaccination, through an appropriate level of restrictions and through testing, trace and isolate.”

The Tanáiste also said people can expect to see daily case numbers rise dramatically over the next few weeks but added that it will not be the same as previous waves.

“Get the vaccine and make sure you get the second dose,” he advised.

“This wave is one we can weather through vaccinations.”

Mr Varadkar also said the Irish Government’s decision to postpone the reopening of indoor dining was the right one.

He said the decision to delay the resumption will give the health service more time to vaccinate the public and bring in the domestic digital Covid certificate to permit indoor hospitality.