Collins warns of diminished lockdown returns
FIANNA FáIL Minister Niall
Collins issued a blunt warning about the current lockdown: ‘We are at the point of diminishing returns.’
Mr Collins delivered his message against a backdrop of public anger and unease over the Government’s strategy and the implementation of the vaccine rollout.
The Limerick minister has acquired a reputation for being a tough-minded defender of the Coalition Government.
Mr Collins told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘The seasons are changing and we are going to have to adapt. People will not tolerate being locked up for the summer.’
The minister added: ‘In this lockdown, we are at a point of diminishing returns. Restrictions have to catch up with reality or they will go into disrepute.’
There are widely diverging views in Cabinet about how far restrictions should be relaxed when the announcement is made on Tuesday.
It is believed that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is inclined to pursue the conservative view taken by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn and other powerful people on the National Public
Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
Government sources said last night that it is likely that Taoiseach Micheál Martin will announce a graduated exit from restrictions on Tuesday.
This would see the very limited lifting of restrictions from April 5. But perhaps further outdoor sports and activities could be allowed from the middle of next month.
They would favour a relaxation of rules that would allow children to resume non-contact training for GAA and other sports.
However, other ministers told the MoS this weekend that they still think it is possible to relax the 5km travel restriction to 10km and 20km, despite plateauing Covid-19 figures.
‘The 5km limit was only ever an arbitrary number and I don’t see why we couldn’t shift that to 20km,’ said a minister.
‘The parliamentary parties
were very strong on this last week, and they represent the people on the ground.
‘There is a belief that the limit isn’t being widely adhered to and it would only be fair to allow lawabiding people to avail of a little travel wider from home,’ said the minister.
There is still a widely held belief in Cabinet circles that tennis and golf should resume.
‘Tennis and golf were to return but this controversy over the Beacon and a private school again raises the spectre of a golden circle and elitism. And golf and tennis could now suffer as they are perceived as elitist,’ they said.
NPHET meets tomorrow and the Cabinet subcommittee on Covid19 will meet in Government Buildings immediately afterwards.
They will most likely get a briefing on the decisions of NPHET from Dr Glynn.
The Cabinet will make the final decision on which Covid-19 restrictions are to be lifted.