The Chief Medical Officer has said he spoke to the Minister for Health on Sunday, prior to a meeting of NPHET, and made clear his concerns about the growth of Covid-19.
Speaking at a Department of Health briefing, Dr Tony Holohan outlined the steps he had taken to inform Stephen Donnelly of the key NPHET meeting last Sunday.
He said he discussed these concerns with Minister Donnelly and told him he was going to hold a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team and would brief the minister afterwards.
Dr Holohan said he was "very clear" about the level of concern he had and added that that level of concern has grown since the meeting on Sunday.
The CMO said that all the major indicators of Covid-19 have got worse since the NPHET meeting.
He confirmed he had called Minister Donnelly on Sunday morning in advance of the meeting and again afterwards.
That meeting recommended a countrywide move to Level 5 but it was rejected by Government.
Dr Holohan said: "We discussed my concerns, the concerns I shared with him of the conversations I had with a range of members of NPHET over the preceding 24 hours and the fact that I was going to hold a meeting of the NPHET and would brief him afterwards, which is exactly what happened.
"He didn't set out parameters within which we would conduct our considerations.
"I was very clear about the level of concern that I have and had and if anything the level of concern I had then is less than the level of concern I have now."
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has said that he spoke to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, on Sunday prior to a meeting of NPHET and 'was very clear about the level of concern' he had about rising Covid-19 levels | Read more: https://t.co/5RbsdeQTcI pic.twitter.com/17WHu2vNbU
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 7, 2020
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Confidentiality over NPHET discussion 'didn't happen'
Holohan 'deeply concerned' over spread of Covid-19 since Sunday
The CMO said that all the major indicators of Covid-19 have got worse since the NPHET meeting and their concern "has gotten greater and faster".
In a statement, Minister Donnelly said he informed the Taoiseach on Saturday afternoon that a NPHET meeting would be held on Sunday arising out of concerns about escalating case numbers.
Mr Donnelly said that in his conversation with Dr Holohan prior to the NPHET meeting on Sunday, they discussed the deteriorating epidemiological situation.
The minister said that following the meeting, he was informed for the first time that NPHET recommended a move to Level 5.
Minister Donnelly said he and Taoiseach Micheál Martin communicated after both conversations between the minister and Dr Holohan on Sunday.
3. The Minister and Taoiseach communicated after both conversations between the Minister and CMO on Sunday.
— Paul Cunningham (@RTENewsPaulC) October 7, 2020
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Sinn Féin's Health spokesman said Minister Donnelly needs to explain why he did not put on the record the contacts he had with Dr Holohan last Sunday, when NPHET was considering Level 5 restrictions.
He said: "The fact that the CMO spoke to Minister Donnelly before and after the NPHET meeting shows the Government was fully kept in the loop and that the CMO did everything possible to keep the Government briefed."
Mr Cullinane added: "Minister Donnelly needs to explain why this information was not put into the public domain earlier."
The Sinn Féin TD said Mr Donnelly must give a statement to the Dáil.
After reading the minister's timeline for engagement with the Chief Medical Officer last weekend, Mr Cullinane said his behaviour was "unacceptable".
He claimed the minister "allowed the impression be formed that NPHET went on a solo run and stayed silent as the Tánaiste attacked the CMO. This is unacceptable. He must give a full explanation in the Dáil tomorrow".
Labour leader Alan Kelly also called for Stephen Donnelly to make a statement in the Dáil about his contacts last weekend with the Chief Medical Officer.
While Minister Donnelly provided RTÉ News with a timeline of his engagement, Mr Kelly said: "Minister Donnelly still hasn't clarified why this is the first we heard that he was kept informed throughout the weekend.
"We’ve been led to believe the Government was completely in the dark until this broke suddenly without warning on Sunday night but at all stages it appears the Health Minister was in the loop."
The Labour leader added that "the Taoiseach should also clarify his understanding of NPHET's thinking on Sunday".
The Social Democrats Co-Leader Róisín Shortall has also called on Minister Donnelly to make a statement about his contact with NPHET last Sunday.
She has called on the minister to make a full statement about what he was told on Sunday morning and evening and what he did with that information.
"The country was distracted by an unseemly row between the Government and NPHET at precisely the moment when all attention should have been on responding to the surge in Covid-19 cases," she said.
The department, was notified of five further coronavirus-related deaths and an additional 611 cases.
It brings the total number of Covid-19-related deaths in Ireland to 1,816. The number of confirmed cases now stands at 39,584.
Reporting: Paul Cunningham, Mícheál Lehane
