The Labour Party leader says that reopening parts of society if case numbers fall below 200 will only lead to another future lockdown.
Tipperary TD Alan Kelly is calling for a national suppression strategy to be introduced for three to four months, with strict quarantining in place for overseas travel.
The strategy has come under criticism from other TDs, including Michael Lowry, who called it idealistic and raised concerns about its impact on business.
Speaking on Tipp Today earlier, deputy Kelly said easing of restrictions should only occur when case numbers are in the low double digits:
“If we did a national suppression strategy, within 3-4 months depending on when case numbers get down into low double digits, we could open up as long as we resource the public health teams.
“If we get these numbers down below 200 and we open up en masse, we’ll be closing up again.”
“Speaking privately to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Government ministers, people on NPHET, I think the Government is coming way more towards what the Labour Party has been advocating. You hear them now talking about a long term suppression strategy.
“A lot of the components we’ve been calling for, with my colleague Duncan Smith, like testing at airports and quarantines, they’re now moving towards.”
