In about six weeks time, Micheál Martin is either going to look like Rudyard Kipling’s man who kept his head when all about him were losing theirs, or he’s going to look like the man who made one of the most irresponsible decisions in Irish history. We’ll have to wait and find out which it is:
🚨ℹ️ Government proposing to move to Level 3 restrictions nationwide, with a focus on stronger adherence and enforcement – but rebuffing the calls to move to Level 5. @VirginMediaNews
— Gavan Reilly is out of office (@gavreilly) October 5, 2020
It certainly is, and was, a hard decision. Most gript readers, if our comments and emails are anything to go by, will cheer it to the rafters as common sense. Niamh laid out, this morning, the various reasons why a lockdown seems to be a disproportionate response to the present outbreak.
But still: We’re headed into winter, a time of year when the health service traditionally creaks under the strain of normal illnesses. The weather is only likely to get colder, which experts say makes the virus more threatening. Numbers continue to rise, as do hospitalisations, even if they are rising more slowly than in the Springtime.
And NPHET’s advice was clear: That this was the last chance to bring the virus under control. If they are right about that (and they’re more qualified than you, me, or the Government) then the Government has just made a decision that it may come to regret.
Rather them than me.
In the meantime, this is what level three restrictions look like:
The 5 Levels of the Living with #COVID19 plan. pic.twitter.com/GGZ5Orgv5X
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) October 4, 2020
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