Cianan Brennan: The tale of Covid-19 is one of the Government becoming wise after the fact

Innovation and forward thinking could be the best way to handle this crisis rather than responding after the fact. 

Pictured in the Department of Health today are Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD and Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, as they provide a Covid-19 update on the day that the Government has announced a two-week lockdown in Kildare, Laois and Offaly. Picture: Leon Farrell / Rollingnews.ie

There is little other way to contemplate the last week in terms of Covid-19 in Ireland than to feel wholly disheartened.

In implementing a three-county lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of an outbreak of the coronavirus, the Government has left itself wide open to the brickbats of those who feel the measures are unfair, and those who wonder why the warning signs weren’t heeded two months ago when calls for increased scrutiny of the meat processing industry were widespread.