Decisions made by the Government are a factor in Ireland's third surge of Covid-19 infection that has placed the health service under great pressure, the Finance Minister has said.
Paschal Donohoe said he took responsibility for the decisions that led to the increase in case numbers, in the wake of Christmas gatherings and the reopening of the hospitality sector in December.
The Christmas period saw Ireland move from having one of the lowest infection rates in Europe to one of the worst, recording a spread of the disease faster than other European nations and the United States by mid-January.
“I of course accept responsibility as a member of the Government for decisions I made and the impact they’ve had, and for all the other things I’ve had to do in the 10 to 11 months that I’ve been trying to lead and work on behalf of our country to deal with Covid-19,” Minister Donohoe said.
“I also did say to you that of course I do accept that the decisions that we made then was one of the factors in where we are now.”
As transmission rates of the virus remain high, the Taoiseach has said current Level 5 restrictions will extend into late February while the plan for schools to reopen on February 1st has been thrown into doubt.
There are 1,949 Covid-19 patients being treated in Irish hospitals this afternoon, with 210 people in intensive care units (ICU).
Speaking on Wednesday, the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that a slower reopening of society when the previous lockdown was eased at the beginning of December “probably would have been better.”
Earlier in January, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it was “unfair” to suggest that the Government should be ashamed of its response to the pandemic.
Mr Martin said there had been “a perfect storm” leading to the third surge of infection, with the combination of people socialising at Christmas and the spread of a more infectious variant of the virus identified in the UK.
He defended the Government's decision to reopen hospitality in early December and to allow household visits in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
It comes as a leading public health expert has said he is “extraordinary disappointed” in politicians who have rejected an all-Ireland approach to suppressing the coronavirus as “impossible”.
Dr Gabriel Scally said bringing the Covid-19 pandemic to an end on the island of Ireland and facilitating a return to normal social and economic life was possible, but required politicians of the same calibre as those who ended the Troubles.
Dr Scally appealed to politicians north and south of the Border to “lay aside some of their prejudices” to tackle the pandemic.
