About-turn as Martin’s officials are cautious on reopening
POLITICAL caution around Ireland’s Covid reopening is now coming from the Department of the Taoiseach rather than from the Department of Health or the National Public Health Emergency Team, senior Government sources have told the Irish Mail on Sunday.
Sources say that the ‘caution’ among civil servants at the Department of the Taoiseach is ‘an about-flip’ from the previous Covid strategy, as prior to this the caution was found at the Department of Health and NPHET.
There are conflicting views about whether indoor hospitality on a widespread scale should recommence on July 5. For now the plan is going ahead.
‘It’s like yin and yang had a sex change,’ said a minister last night. ‘The optimism that is emerging from Government is principally at the National Public Health Emergency Team and Health, which is some change.
‘There are some at the Department of Taoiseach, mainly civil servants, who are worried about a rerun of December.’
There are discussions at the top of Government over Covid strategy. Central to that discussion is the education sector.
The Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal that NPHET has asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) to do a survey
‘It’s like yin and yang had a sex change’
of international data on mask wearing in advance of compiling a return-to-school plan.
Nevertheless, there are already conflicting views. Some ministers believe that the vaccination programme and the Hiqa inquiry will allow substantial loosening of restrictions at schools.
‘If Hiqa were to give the goahead on masks, it would mean loosening of restrictions that would even see secondary school students not wearing masks in October,’ said a Department of Health source.
‘But really, there has never been a huge amount of evidence behind mask wearing, so one would think forces in Government would demand its continuance.’
However, a minister said other matters could be looked at from September.
‘If you look at New York and Israel, they have lifted all legal restrictions, so that shows the effectiveness of vaccines,’ said the minister. ‘And in the Department of Health and NPHET they are bullish about the effectiveness of this.’
Government sources told the MoS that the vaccination of the under-30s will begin next month.
That could then allow restrictions to be eased again in September.
‘Firstly we will look at the pods and one-way systems,’ said a minister. ‘But even then you could see the vaccination programme for secondary school students being completed in October. Then masks could be looked at.’
For now a number of Cabinet Ministers, and senior officials at the Department of Health and NPHET have confirmed that the plan for loosening Covid restrictions is on track. However, as has become pro forma, data will be analysed at the end of this month before the July 5 reopening of hospitality.
‘By the end of the month we could be doing as well as we are now,’ said a minister. ‘We are doing well at keeping the Delta variant out and it could be under control in England by then, too.’
A Cabinet Minister involved in strategic planning of the Covid reopening then outlined what he thought would happen.
‘What we have planned for July is a lot already and that will go ahead based on current data. Then in August we will start the phased return of office workers to offices,’ he said.
‘In September, we will have schools returning with reduced restrictions and college students on campus.’
Of other much-missed activities, the minister said: ‘We are a while off nightclubs and mass gatherings indoors but maybe that’s where antigen testing might be useful.’
Meanwhile, there are mixed views on antigen testing in Government.
‘NPHET aren’t completely opposed to antigen testing, they are OK to see it used at pilot events for sure,’ said a minister.
‘The same-day test will pick up some people who are infectious and don’t know it. But there is not much point in using antigen for spaced-out, outdoor events.’
Ministers agree with NPHET’s opposition to antigen testing for travel. ‘For travel they have a point,’ said a minister. ‘You get Covid on a Monday. On Tuesday you get tested, it’s negative, you fly. On the Wednesday you start shedding the virus and infecting others for the next five days. PCR would pick that up, however.’
The Government are waiting on data from a widespread study of pilot events in Britain being headed by Liverpool University.
‘We’ll have more data from here and England by the end of this month and can make an informed decision then. ‘Certainly there is optimism emanating from NPHET and the Chief Medical Officer [Tony Holohan]. Some in the Department of the Taoiseach are very worried about a
repeat of the ‘meaningful Christmas’.
Ministers were anxious to exclude Taoiseach Micheál Martin from this, stressing that they believed his ‘officials’ were the main source of
caution.