Daniel McConnell: Reopening farce a mess of Government's own making

Government members are scrambling to put the blame at the feet of Nphet — but advisers advise; it is ministers who decide

Dr Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer; Dr Ronan Glynn, the deputy chief medical officer; and Prof Martin Cormican at a Covid-19  press conference  earlier this year. File picture: Colin Keegan

Just who is running the country — the Government or Nphet?

That was the pointed question Independent TD for Clare Michael McNamara posed to Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Dáil last week.

The chaotic events of the past 36 hours have brought the dynamic between the Cabinet and National Public Health Emergency Team into sharp focus once more.

In seeking to do the right thing by bringing forward the decision as to what happens with easing Covid-19 restrictions on July 5, the two bodies have ended up causing huge public anger over the botched manner of the delay to indoor activity.

Just 48 hours after it was rubbished by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, it is now Government policy that proof of vaccination will be required to have a pint. This ludicrous scenario would see young people able to serve you a pint but not have one themselves indoors. That is now Government policy.

There is palpable anger from within Cabinet as to the specifics and manner in which Nphet recommended the delay to indoor dining.

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath reportedly hit out at what he said was the “grenade” having been “lobbed on our desks” by Nphet.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly work on the same floor in the same building — are we meant to believe the matter was not raised in advance?

If that was truly the case, then it is remarkable.

An 'unholy mess'

Ministers have described what occurred at today's Cabinet meeting as “an unholy mess”.

They are angry that because of Nphet’s “dire and sobering” warnings, they feel they had no choice but to delay the reopening. Some at the Cabinet table were angry at not being able to give a definitive date to people as to when things might open.

While the modelling presented by Nphet, particularly in its pessimistic scenario which forecasts 2,170 deaths over the summer months, was sobering, there are also questions being asked as to how robust it is.

Legitimate questions are now being asked as to the need for delaying.

For example, look at where we are in terms of the virus. We have 14,400 hospital beds in this country and 47, or 0.003%, are filled with Covid-related patients. Just 15, or 0.001%, are in ICU.

Nphet expressed concern around the spike in numbers in the UK, particularly Scotland, but as has been pointed out, while case numbers have risen, hospitalisations and ICU numbers have not increased at anywhere near the rate they had in previous waves.

Now, we are left in this farcical situation whereby the Government has announced a plan to announce a plan in two weeks.

We have no clarity as to when indoor hospitality will reopen, a move which effectively ends the summer for many business owners.

This is disgraceful.

Blame game

In echoes of what happened last October, Government ministers have sought to place the blame for this whole mess at Nphet’s door.

Whatever validity there is in Nphet’s failure, this is a mess of the Government’s own making. It is the Government, not Nphet, who we charge with running the country.

Advisers advise, ministers must decide.

If the Government was so unhappy with what Nphet said, why not announce the two-week delay, do a proper examination of the modelling and of how viable the proposal to introduce some form of vaccination cert actually is. 

It could have rejected Nphet’s advice wholesale if it wanted to.

It is the Government, not Nphet, which decides the parameters of their dynamic.

The country has been left confused, angry, and baffled as to what has happened and where things stand.

Some have suggested that Dr Holohan, having gone toe-to-toe with the Government before — and won — knew what he was doing with this latest "grenade" and that a highly cautious Taoiseach was not going to defy his recommendation.

I met McNamara in the Dáil canteen yesterday and I mentioned his question as to who runs the country. 

“Now we know,” came the curt response.