Leaders sacrificing people on altar of the economy

THIS Cabinet, as presently constituted, has lost its authority to decide on the risk level to be implemented in the face of Covid-19, (‘Ministers keen to reject Level 5 advice but more restrictions already looming’,

Irish Independent, October 17), which has exponentially spread in the last four weeks.

If the Cabinet does not follow the advice of chief medical officer Tony Holohan and Nphet, the population will require detailed reasoning for rejection over and above the saving of jobs and the economy. The public health advice needs to be considered independently of other economic and social factors.

The call for measures to indicate when restrictions can be removed is misplaced and the previous Taoiseach did not consider such measures when he rushed to announce the lifting of restrictions, prior to the formation of the present Government, against the better judgment of some of his ministers and Nphet, setting the seeds of the present surge.

Leo Varadkar and those who supported his verbal abuse of Dr Holohan and Nphet are unfit to make a decision on the measures to apply.

We must disabuse ourselves of the idea that Budget 2021 put money in everyone’s pocket – it did no such thing. It failed to support the livelihoods, businesses and economy of the nation by failing to implement a universal basic income to effectively put money in everyone’s pockets and allow them to survive through the duration of the pandemic, saving the economy whilst still complying with the restrictions.

It is now clear we are not all in this together. We are required to take care of ourselves and our families and community and require the means to do so, not platitudes.

As more of the population contract Covid-19 the ability of the hospitals, shops, services and every other activity will be seriously curtailed or dramatically reduced.

Measures at Level 5 will stem the rise of the virus and curtail the absenteeism it has stimulated. Our leaders have sacrificed the population on the altar of business and the economy. Hugh McDermott

Dromahair, Co Leitrim