COVID RULES CONFUSION LINGERS ON
Backlash over mixed messaging fuels tension in Coalition
CONFUSION reigned at Cabinet last night after claims of ‘incoherency’ at the new Covid restrictions turned into disagreement and even open hostility. Just hours after Catherine Martin’s Arts Department said 50 people could attend cinemas and theatres, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly declared that they must be kept to groups of six.
This came after a direct threat to Coalition stability, when Leo Varadkar warned Micheál Martin: ‘If this is how you’re going to do business then we won’t be doing it very long.’
There is now growing pressure on the Government to recall the Dáil immediately to deal with the fallout from the latest lockdown fiasco.
As business groups, struggling to cope with the pandemic, pleaded for clarity, one Cabinet minister openly lampooned
the new measures, saying: ‘You have Micheál Martin on stage being asked, “Can the over-70s go on holidays?” and he says they can. And Ronan Glynn telling them they can’t stay in hotels. If six lads want to watch a GAA team play they can’t go, but the same lads can go to the pub and watch a game and have a skinful of pints.’
And adding to the sense of dysfunction at the heart of Government, Health Minister Mr Donnelly was derided on social media last night over a rambling interview to Virgin Media News, where he compared the risk of children returning to school to them jumping on trampolines.
Earlier, the Department of Arts had said cinemas, galleries and theatres can open with 50 people indoors and 200 outdoors, as long as the measures are in place.
But hours later, Mr Donnelly appeared to contradict this, saying: ‘The guidance for the next 25 days is no more than six meeting indoors.
‘If it’s to your house, it’s your family plus six visitors. If it’s any of us outside, or rather out of our houses – but indoors – it’s six, so in a cafe or a gallery or whatever you
‘It’s your family, plus six visitors’
want.’ Meanwhile, Dublin Chamber, which represents 1,300 businesses in the capital, said the new restrictions have resulted in a considerable level of confusion. And a minister who participated in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting said the tension between Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin centred on a decision not hold a Cabinet sub-committee meeting before new rules were announced. It had been agreed, at the weekend, that the sub-committee would meet ahead of the Cabinet, but this was cancelled and a rushed Cabinet meeting was pencilled in for 1pm with the press briefing scheduled for 3pm on Tuesday.
One minister said: ‘There were as many Fianna Fáil ministers as Fine Gael ministers raising concerns. A lot of ministers expressed concern that this was confusing. A lot of ministers said this had to be communicated better. That it was contradictory, general confusion. The Cabinet meeting was due to start at 1pm and the press conference was scheduled for 3pm. How did he (Mr Martin) think it was all going to be sorted out by then?
‘He’s obviously gotten away with running his parliamentary party without taking their opinions seriously. But you won’t get away with that in a coalition government. His management style is a bit old school, he can snap at people. His style has not been effective thus far.
‘In fairness to Leo, he did have a point. What basically happened was that they didn’t put the hard yards in before Cabinet. The Fine Gael people have been at this for months and they know what to do, but it wasn’t done here.’
Ministers also believe that the failure to hold the sub-committee meeting, which would have had health experts present, added to the confusion.
Labour leader Alan said the new Garda powers needed to be discussed in the Dáil.
He said: ‘It seems that the Government now is not united.
There are serious issues in relation to how they are coordinating work. The relationship between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is obviously deteriorated.’ Independent TD Mattie McGrath backed his calls for the Dáil to be recalled, saying there is total and utter confusion and frustration surrounding the latest round of restrictions. Social Democrats co-leader Catherine
Murphy joined the chorus of calls, slamming the ‘incoherent’ approach of Government.
Meanwhile, Minister Donnelly told Virgin Media News last night: ‘We worry about our children going back to school when there’s no Covid.
‘Of course, we worry about our children going back to school, there’s no question about it.
‘Driving a car is an inherently risky thing to do so we have seatbelts and we have rules of the road,’ the minister added. ‘Playing
‘Do you think the virus knows?’
sports is inherently risky thing to do. Our children being on trampolines, is an inherently risky thing to do.
‘We manage risk in our lives. Every time we get into a car.
‘Lots of people die on the roads,’ he added. ‘The risk is not necessarily much higher than people dying on the roads.’