Twitter reacts to government decision to remain at level 3 lockdown

Twitter has been reacting all day to the decision by the Government to maintain country-wide Level 3 restrictions, despite advice from NPHET to increase COVID-19 restrictions to level 5.

NPHET made it clear that they felt if drastic action was not taken, cases may rise between 1600 and 2300 per day by early November, citing increased hospitalisations, increased incidence in over-65s, another seven clusters in nursing homes in the past week. They pointed out that Level 3 restrictions have not been effective in Dublin, and noted that they were worried Ireland's healthcare system would be overloaded if the recent jump in case numbers was not efficiently and immediately squashed.

In the last week, the five-day average jumped from 310 to 462 cases per day, and the 14-day rate for the whole country jumped above 100 per 100,000 (it currently sits at 108 per 100,000) for the first time since March and April.

Despite this information, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar launched a full-scale attack on NPHET and Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan on RTÉ's Claire Byrne Live. He noted that the HSE did not agree with NHPET's advice, and said of the organisation:

“None of those people, for example, would have faced being on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment yesterday.

“None of them would have to tell somebody that they were losing their job and none of them would have to shutter a business for the last time. And I’m not talking about the economy, I’m talking about something that could have happened half a million human beings tomorrow and the reason why politicians make these decisions is because we’re the ones who can see then bigger picture.”

While their are those that agree with Varadkar – VFI and other publican organisations are worried about the devastating effect a Level 5 restriction would have on their businesses – many Irish Twitter users have criticised Varadkar's attack, and Taoiseach Míchael Martin's decision to reject NPHET's advice.

Another grim day in a series of grim days....https://t.co/fbB2wq1w6k

— VFI (@VFIpubs) October 6, 2020

Ex-Green Party politician Saoirse McHugh noted that there were parallels between the government's handling of these restrictions and their handling of environmental issues in the past.

NPHET saying level 5 but the gov deciding that loss of life has to be balanced against the economy is a perfect model of what has been happening to climate action for decades...

Saving lives and the planet is given equal status to the profits of Ryanair and Raytheon

— Saoirse McHugh (@saoirse_mchugh) October 5, 2020

She went on to note that it would be up to the people to save themselves from this crisis.

If there’s a benefit to all this I hope it’s that we all fully realise that we cannot rely on a state to keep us, our families, our communities, or our planet safe....

We have to do that ourselves.

— Saoirse McHugh (@saoirse_mchugh) October 5, 2020

Our thoughts go out to all our friends in pubs outside of Dublin who are getting ready to close (again) today. It's heartbreaking. The hospitality sector has been treated very shabbily throughout this crisis. @VFIpubs https://t.co/wiEP32E1wf

— LVA (@LVADublinPubs) October 6, 2020

Some users criticised the government's lax handling of the initial lockdown, including inside Direct Provision centres.

We all took "personal responsibility" in the march lockdown which bought you 6 months. And what have ye done:

❌No increase in ICU capacity
❌No checks at airports
❌Overcrowded classrooms
❌Meat plants open
❌DP still running
❌No sick pay
✔️Holiday for TDs and 3 pay rises https://t.co/qJC26GF0SN

— Darragh (@Taiwo_Oifigiuil) October 6, 2020

Quoting the same tweet from Dublin Southwest TD John Lahart, Andrew Flood noted:

Good example of how things are being framed so that if government refusal to go to Phase 5 results in a lot of deaths that will be YOUR fault for not being responsible enough. Even if you are forced to live 3 to a room in direct provision or at a shift in a crowded meat plant https://t.co/NkJZVbrYCm

— Andrew Flood (@andrewflood) October 6, 2020

1/2 I'm furious tonight, we warned about direct provision centres and no action has been taken to make the people stuck in them safer, we warned about Traveller living conditions and they threw a few portaloos around the place, they knew about meat factories and have done nothing

— Sarah Clancy (@sarahmaintains) October 5, 2020

NPHET: Please, Level 5!

Govt: No ☺️✨🥺

NPHET: People will die.

Govt: 😍ECONOMY😍

NPHET: Our hospitals can’t handle it!

Govt: More Gardai 😂👮‍♂️😗✌️💦

— Sam (@samwhatislife) October 5, 2020

I think it’s possible to both think that the restrictions are probably necessary and also find them personally devastating, just putting it out there.

— Neasa Conneally (@neasaconneally) October 5, 2020

At 14:37PM on October 6, RTÉ reported that 31 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in a County Laois nursing home.