LEO VARADKAR says he hasn't apologised to Dr Tony Holohan after following a clash between the Government and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Ireland imposed Level Three restrictions country-wide, despite advice from NPHET that only a move to Level Five would prevent further rises in coronavirus cases.
Tánaiste Varadkar criticised NPHET on Monday during an appearance on The Claire Byrne Show, saying their suggestion "had not been thought through" and there had "not been prior consultation" with the Government before the recommendation became public knowledge.
According to reports, Ireland's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan - who heads up NPHET - was particularly insistent about the move to Level Five, and was frustrated by the Government's refusal to do so.
Despite the feud, both Varadkar and Holohan have publicly stressed their eagerness to put the disagreement behind them, with the Tánaiste saying the he and the CMO were "on the same team".
"I'll only say one thing about this matter and it is, as I think people will understand. I was really unhappy about what happened on Sunday night and the anxiety and fear it caused for hundreds of thousands of people and I gave voice to that anger and that frustration," Varadkar admitted on Wednesday.
"But I also said that NPHET and the Government needed to get back on the same page, I rang Tony Holohan last night, we had a good conversation, we're on the same team, we always have been.
"What we need is not the Government versus NPHET, it's Ireland versus Covid."
Dr Holohan responded to Mr Varadkar’s interview by admitted that the duo had "a longstanding, good relationship" and that they'd continue to work together in good faith.
"I heard what he said. He and I had a conversation about it last night, we exchanged views, we had a long conversation about that and then we moved on to have a conversation about the disease," Holohan said.
"He and I have a longstanding, good relationship over many years, we recognise that we need to continue that together over the course of the next weeks and months to work on the disease, that’s what we’re committed to."
