IRELAND MUST make exiting lockdown its top priority, according to a leading immunology expert.
Leo Varadkar previously unveiled a five-step plan for lifting the restriction put in place to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
Ireland took its first tentative step towards what the Taoiseach has termed “the new normal” this week, with the elderly and vulnerable allow outside for gentle exercise.
The wider public are now allowed to exercise within a 5km radius of their home - an upgrade on the previous 2km limit.
More significant restrictions will be eased in the coming weeks and months, with the culmination of the plans coming in mid-August, when pubs and bars will be allowed to reopen to the public.
But while the detailing of these plans has been broadly welcomed, some critics such as Professor of Immunology at NUI Maynooth, Paul Moynath, believe Ireland should be coming out of lockdown quicker.
Speaking on Newstalk FM, Professor Moynath argued that recent mathematical studies indicate "the rate of increasing infections was more or less the same, irrespective of whether lockdown was applied or not.
"Most of the benefits we're seeing are probably due to measures such as social distancing."
Though he acknowledged the need for lockdown measures in March, when the virus first struck in Ireland, he believed that time had passed and warned that a failure to leave lockdown as quickly as possible could have major widespread consequences.
“I don't get a sense of urgency in terms of exiting lockdown and I thinks that should be one of our top priorities,” he said.
"I would ask now if its continuation is justified, based on the consequences of lockdown, not just economic.
"There are also health arguments, in terms of non-Covid healthcare, mental health issues and major societal effects coming down the road."
But while the Maynooth academic stressed the need for a quick lockdown, he added that widespread testing and tracing would be an essential part of any plans.
He said he wanted to see the country exit lockdown in a safe way and that testing and tracing will help to ease restrictions.
"Our aspiration should be to try and get testing in 24 hours... and link that to very effective tracing,” he said.
"That would really be the support needed to exit lockdown."
