Economy shut until April – and ‘no clear return date’ for pupils

MINISTERS heard at last night’s party meetings that there is no expectation of any substantive reopening of the economy before April.

And Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney told the Fine Gael party meeting that there is no clear date for schools to reopen.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told last night’s Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting that there is a ‘clear horizon of restrictions’ continuing beyond this month.

‘We have some distance to go and the recent increase in deaths shows the devastation of this virus,’ he said.

‘The numbers are too high and we need to get them down. We will take advice from NPHET and others when making a decision.’

Mr Coveney told the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting the majority of lockdown measures will be ‘maintained well into February’. They will be discussed at a Cabinet subcommittee meeting early next week and then at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Junior education minister Josepha Madigan told party colleagues

‘Significant ramping up’

that talks to reopen special schools would restart next week after unions rejected proposals to have them reopen today.

While the Taoiseach previously said the Government would review the restrictions on January 31, it appears this will now occur on Tuesday, with a view to extending the full lockdown of the country.

And while the Government has insisted it’s still its intention to get schools reopened in February, the Taoiseach signalled yesterday that it is very much dependent on our Covid case numbers.

The Irish Daily Mail previously revealed that NPHET will not advise schools to reopen until February 22. However, a Department of Education source confirmed there is a major push to get Leaving Certificate pupils back on February 1. If Leaving Cert pupils do not get back to school next month, there are concerns within Government about whether Leaving Cert exams can be held.

Speaking about the reopening of schools in the Dáil yesterday, the Taoiseach said that ‘one of the most effective things to do’ is to get the rate of community transmission down and such a development ‘might’ give the Government the ‘ability to solve the problem’.

It was confirmed last night that a further 61 people infected with Covid-19 have died, while an additional 2,488 new cases of the virus were identified.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach has also said the AstraZeneca vaccine will not be available in Ireland until mid-February, .

The vaccine, described as a ‘game-changer’ by Mr Martin, is still subject to approval by the European Medicines Agency, which is expected on January 29.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly had been in talks with AstraZeneca about securing early deliveries of the vaccine, so it could be rolled out as soon as EMA approval is secured.

But the Taoiseach has confirmed this would not happen, saying it would still be a number of weeks before it arrives in Ireland.

Mr Martin told the Dáil: ‘We have a much more comprehensive and detailed plan in terms of ramping up the volume for the next phase [of the vaccine roll-out].

‘Particularly after the authorisation, hoping that’ll go well, of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which should be on [January 29] from the European Medicines Agency, and then for delivery in their timeline for mid-February.’

Mr Martin added: We envisage significant ramping up, particularly in February, March, April.

Coombe to conduct inquiry

And then May, June will be significant months as well, because the number of vaccines we will have will be very significant. It will no longer be a supply-and-demand issue; it’ll be the workforce issue.’

Meanwhile, the board of the Coombe hospital in Dublin has said it is to conduct an internal inquiry into the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine to 16 relatives of staff members.