The Sinn Féin leader has called for clarity on COVID-19 guidelines after the Taoiseach enjoyed a picnic in Phoenix Park over the weekend.
Leo Varadkar was pictured with his partner and two friends on Sunday afternoon.
A spokesperson said the gathering was in line with public health guidelines, as it was within 5km of the Stewards Lodge at Farmleigh House where the couple have been staying during the COVID-19 emergency.
"I didn't see any pictures that are in violation
of that, involving the Taoiseach." @CMOIreland responds after photos emerged of Leo Varadkar enjoying the sun in Phoenix Park yesterday. pic.twitter.com/OifO36ikbX— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) May 25, 2020
Phase One of reopening allows for gatherings of up to four people outdoors while following social distancing.
On Radio Kerry this afternoon however, Mary Lou McDonald noted that Liz Canavan, one of Mr Varadkar’s top officials, last week asked people not to picnic while exercising at public amenities.
“Anybody and all of us are entitled to enjoy the sunshine on a Sunday afternoon and the Taoiseach is no different,” she said, but added: “I did understand that the advice was not to have picnics.”
“Now I know people are having picnics but I just take the general view that for the head of Government, or anybody in elected office, you need to add clarity not confusion.”
People enjoying the good weather in Phoenix Park, Dublin, 16-05-2020. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNewsShe said she would ‘strongly encourage’ people to meet their friends outdoors within the guidelines but said, “there does have to be clarity.”
“It seems that the matter of the picnic is the source of the contention because, in the course of the week, his senior official had asked people not to be at picnics,” she said.
Deputy McDonald said people also need clarity on whether social distancing requires one metre or two and “clear public messaging in terms of standards of safety at work and how we are going to protect people in nursing homes and direct provision.”
“There are a whole range of issues where there have been mixed messages and confusion and I think it is very important at this stage that we work towards clarity because people are trying to get the show back on the road,” she said.
“It is summer time now and families with children are trying to plan, what will our summer look like? What can we do? What can we not do?
“I think in that context the fair thing is that the message and the advice is clear and of course all of us then, not just Leo Varadkar but all of us in public life have to lead by example.”
In a statement yesterday, the Taoiseach’s spokesperson said he has been living at the Stewards Lodge because it has secure office and video conferencing facilities which allow him to work from home.
