Offaly councillor welcomes government's lockdown exit strategy

Fine Gael councillor Noel Cribbin has welcomed the Government’s Coronavirus Exit Strategy unveiled by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last week.

Cllr Cribbin has described the publication of the strategy as being "a light at the end of the tunnel’ and praised the people of the Midlands for their fantastic efforts to date, which have saved many lives.  "

Commenting on the strategy, Cllr. Cribbin said: "We’ve seen this country face extraordinarily difficult decisions over the last weeks and all of us have played a part in finally being able to see a light at the end of the tunnel for this challenging period. Our next task is for everyone to continue to abide by restrictions under each of the 5 stages of the strategy as it is rolled out. There can be no room for complacency now."

Cllr. Cribbin said: "The country faces unprecedented challenges on two fronts, both health-wise and economically.

"Following the advice of Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan and the commitment of our frontline health care workers we are flattening the curve and bringing down the death rate on a daily basis.

"The Government, under the leadership of Leo Varadakar, has made it possible for those who have lost their jobs and for all facing economic uncertainty, to avail of a wage to support them and their families.

"We are now in possession of a roadmap to exit the pandemic which will work in conjunction with the various financial supports provided by Government to workers and business owners. From May 18 to August, we will hopefully be in a position to begin the task of returning our economy to where it was prior to the pandemic.

"We have seen the importance of cool heads and a proven track record of leadership, over the last weeks. These attributes will be needed more than ever over the next months and years.’

He concluded: "Government formation is a priority for Fine Gael. With a solid Government in place, and the ongoing commitment of communities across Ireland to abide by all restrictions until such a time as they can be fully lifted, we can look forward to getting our country up and running again. We’ve all made massive sacrifices and if we continue to stay apart to work together, we will come out the other side of this."