The time has come to open up and start moving on from the pandemic, according to Fine Gael TD and former minister Michael Ring.
NPHET is due to meet again on Thursday amid strong calls for the curfew to be lifted immediately.
The Tánaiste Leo Varadkar today told Newstalk he would push for a “more ambitious and rapid reopening than we had in the past”; however, businesses have been calling for the 8pm to be lifted without delay.
This evening, 6,329 new COVID cases were announced, while 4,810 people registered positive antigen results on the HSE portal yesterday.
The number of patients with COVID in hospital is down 57 on this day last week; however, the number in ICU is up eight.
On The Hard Shoulder this evening, former Fine Gael minister Michael Ring said the strain on Irish hospitals is no different this year to any other year.
“Exactly this time two years ago, we were fighting a general election and the biggest issue at the time was the overflow of hospitals,” he said. “People out in car parks, people weren’t able to get into hospitals all over this country.
“The situation is nothing has changed in two years. The time has come now. Yes, there was a pandemic. Yes, we did what we were told. Yes, we listened to the professionals, but it is time now to start moving on.
“The professionals are now telling us that the worst of this pandemic is gone so it is time now that we started making decisions for that as well. The time has come that we open up. The time has come that we allow people to go back into normality.”
He said the COVID restrictions are putting great strain on people’s mental health all over the country.
“We have all had enough of it,” he said. “All our mental health has been affected by this and the time has come now that we need to get back to normality again and let people do their business.
“People want to make their living. There are people suffering out there. Their businesses have almost collapsed; the Government has come in with subsidies and schemes but it still not enough to keep some of these businesses alive.”
Also on the show, Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne said Government should lift the curfew directly after NPHET’s meeting on Thursday.
“On the basis of all the indications and what we are hearing from the HSE and others, the evidence is quite clear,” he said.
“It is only a case of NPHET making the recommendation and I think on Thursday we should have a very clear announcement made that a lot the restrictions that were introduced for very good reason just before Christmas [are being lifted].”
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