Tánaiste says Government were given stark warnings from NPHET about original reopening plans

Leo Varadkar says they were told about what may happen if Government went ahead with its original reopening plans

"The pessimistic scenario is totally different. Over 2000 deaths occurring over a three month period, a wave as severe as any that we've experienced to date with hospitals coming under enormous pressure and ICU's in particular. So with that in mind, bearing in mind that the pessimistic scenario is a potential outcome. We decided that we're going to be cautious, and we're going to err on the side of caution, until we know more about this variant."