Government pulled in all directions over managing pandemic

Good morning.

The pressure is piling on the Government from several sides as it wrestles with the toughest decisions for months on how to manage the pandemic.

The evidence is scattered across this morning’s papers: the Government is being pushed and pulled in all directions. But the decisions cannot be ducked.

From one side, Ministers are being pressed for a plan to open outdoor hospitality on July 19th; yesterday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said he hoped to be able to bring proposals to Cabinet next week.

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But public health advisers – and many Ministers, up to and including the Taoiseach Micheál Martin – are increasingly concerned at the prospect of a Delta variant-powered surge in cases, right at the time that pubs and restaurants might be reopening.

Further evidence of jumpiness about Delta came last night when Varadkar dubbed the British reopening “too risky”.

“If things go wrong in England, it will have a spillover effect in Ireland and on our other neighbours,” he fretted.

At the same time, the Government has undertaken, as part of the EU-wide reopening plan, to have the Irish edition of the EU Digital Covid Certificate ready by July 19th. Letters and emails with confirmation of vaccination will go out next week, our lead story reports today.

People who have not been vaccinated will have to pay to get a private PCR test if they wish to travel, while as many as 170,000 people who have recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months will have to contact a special call centre to get their certificate. So foreign travel is on.

Our lead story is here.

And there are other reports signalling concern about the Delta variant. Michelle O'Neill, the Northern deputy first minister, said the British moves were "reckless".

Meanwhile, on our foreign pages, Mark Weiss reports from Jerusalem that the Israeli authorities are considering the reintroduction of some restrictions as the Delta variant spreads. Studies show the Pfizer vaccine is less effective against infection – but still highly effective against hospitalisation and severe illness.

And there's a Q&A explaining – as much as we can at this stage – how the digital pass will work, and how it might be used to reopen indoor hospitality. That would require a change in Government policy, although that seems to be the direction in which we are headed – assuming, that is, it is not derailed by a Delta surge.

Senior gardaí protest over allowance

Elsewhere on our front page, there's a worrying story for Ministers about a sort of work-to-rule by senior gardaí, who say they will not perform a range of duties, including implementing Garda reforms and assisting Gsoc investigations into the force, which they don't regard as part of their core duties.

The row is about money, of course. The senior gardaí want payment of an increase in an allowance recommended by a review; the Department of Justice pleads that the matter is before the Workplace Relations Commissioner.

The Government will face a raft of special pay demands across the public sector in the coming months. But Ministers are rightly wary of conflict with the gardaí: it tends not to end well.

Meanwhile, Conor Gallagher reports gardaí in Dublin are to change their approach to the policing of public socialising, following widespread criticism of the way the large crowds that gathered in Dublin city centre recently were handled.

Following reflection on the recent events in Dublin, when gardaí clashed with outdoor drinkers, the force has decided to change the way it polices these situations, he says.

Instead of relying on a “heavy presence” of public-order officers to police people gathering outdoors in the city centre, the force is now sending large numbers of frontline officers to patrol the streets. Of course, if they want to go into the pubs, they’ll need the digital Covid certificate.

Dublin Bay South campaign enters last day

It’s the last day of campaigning in the Dublin Bay South byelection, so expect desperate candidates to try all sort of wheezes to attract attention.

It's a more-than-usually-consequential byelection, which will lead to all sorts of fallout. Here's one of our final canvass pieces (with Green candidate Claire Byrne), and our eve-of-poll summary.

Best reads

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Our editorial says the State's response to the next phase of the pandemic will need to be nimble and ready to change at a moment's notice.

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Playbook

A ridiculously busy day in the Dáil chamber starts shortly after 9am and finishes close to midnight. In between, there are Leaders' Questions, Private Members' motions, nine pieces of Government legislation and the weekly votes, all concertinaed together. Full details are here.

Busy at the committees too, with no fewer than 12 meetings. Highlights include the appearance of Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, who will discuss the local property tax legislation at the finance committee, and the update on progress of the children's hospital from officials at the health committee. Full list is here.

And don’t forget: at about 8pm this evening, football will continue its process of coming home when England play Denmark in the semi-finals of the Euros. Try as you might, you won’t be able avoid it.