Dr. Tony Holohan, Dr. Ronan Glynn, Dr. Colm Henry, and Dr. Cillian De Gascun, pictured this evening at apress conference at the Department of Health. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has said that it is “not in a position” to recommend the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Dr Tony Holohan said that while compliance rates with restrictions have been high, a set of criteria which would see restrictions eased has not been met.

“If the assessment was made in any of the recent days that this question has come up in the last week or so, that the requirements if you like or the criteria that we see as being important to enable us to make a recommendation that we should reduce some of the restrictions in place have yet to be satisfied,” he said at the Department of Health briefing this evening.

“If those assessments were made on any of the days, including today, we wouldn’t be in a position to recommend a progression to any of these an easing of restrictions,” he said.

He said that Ireland’s levels in relation to numbers in ICU and new positive tests for the virus show that “we’re not at a low enough level”.

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“The levels that we’re at, compared to other countries that are in a position to consider easing restrictions, we’re just not quite as far as we’d like to be.

“We’re not down to a low enough level, yet,” he said.

Dr Holohan added that we “still have a way to go” and that incidence of the virus has been reduced.

“We hope to see further continued progress but we still have a way to go on a number of those important indicators.

“We’ve had a very, very significant reduction in the incidence of the disease and the risk of this disease being transmitted in the community,” he explained.

He raised his concerns about high numbers of people testing positive in nursing homes and in the population in general.

“We still have high numbers being diagnosed from the nursing home sector and the population generally,” he said.

“We have 130-140 in intensive care at this moment in time.”

The NPHET will make an assessment of the situation on Friday.

It comes as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has come under pressure from his cabinet ministers to begin lifting Covid-19 restrictions after the bank holiday weekend.

During a Cabinet meeting today several ministers insisted the Government should begin the process of easing restrictions to give the public hope after weeks of lockdown.

However, the Taoiseach and Health Minister Simon Harris did not give their colleagues any indication of their exit strategy ahead of announcement due on Friday.

“It was all very depressing and neither of them gave us much hope,” one minister said.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe was among those saying the social distancing rules should be eased, especially for those over 70 who have been asked to cocoon.

Mr Donohoe also appeared to argue for some relaxation of the current school closures. He pointed out that young children, particularly those in primary school, receive support and help in classrooms and have now not been at school for the last seven weeks.

A Government source said Mr Donohoe argued for some flexibility with the current measures, saying that ministers “need to show the country some hope too - otherwise people will start losing faith”.

He is also believed to have said a strong government is needed to make tough public health and economic decisions during the coronavirus emergency.

Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring insisted that businesses need to be given hope that they will soon be able to reopen. Mr Ring said a lot small businesses in rural Ireland will close permanently if they were not given a clear plan for how social distancing rules will be eased in the coming weeks.

Communications Minister Richard Bruton said the Covid crisis was now more than just a health issues and the economic side of the emergency also needed to be addressed.

Disability Minister Finian McGrath said a plan needed to be in place by Friday to give people and idea of the lockdown exit strategy.

Mr McGrath also said restrictions should be eased for older people and suggested some construction workers should be allowed to return to work.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy were described by colleagues as being “on the liberal” side in relation to lifting restrictions.

Mr Creed argued that farmers can continue to be safe in carrying out their work as an essential service.

However, Transport Minister Shane Ross strongly argued in favour of maintaining stringent public health restrictions. “He is taking it very seriously,” said a Cabinet source. Mr Ross appeared via videolink as he is cocooning at home.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan repeatedly urged caution at the Cabinet meeting and has told colleagues that if decisions were made today “there would be no lifting of any restrictions”, according to a Cabinet source. Health Minister Simon Harris also argued a “hardline” on the restrictions.

Mr Varadkar did not offer his views, but will to return to Cabinet on Friday with recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team on what approach to take after the current measures expire on May 5 and a plan on the phased lifting of the lockdown over several weeks and months.

“There’s a very nuanced debate going on within the government - not just at Cabinet - as to how we approach the 5th,” said a third Cabinet source after the meeting. “The what, how and when, if it all.”

Another minister said the Cabinet meeting set up as a debate so the “Taoiseach wouldn’t have to tells us what is really going to happen”.

“Harris was also not very forthcoming with information and I would not be expecting much change next week based that,” the minister added.

There was also a debate on the public wearing face masks when leaving their home and ministers believed a decision may be announced shortly on the issue.

Defence Minister Paul Kehoe said the Government should continue to listen to the public health advice and warned of the disastrous impact of a second wave of the virus. Mr Kehoe noted that the cocooning conditions are difficult for older people but said the regulations are in place for their best interests.

He also urged the Taoiseach to explore the possibility of allowing some non-contact sports, such as horse racing, to return.

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