Leo Varadkar has heaped praise onto the National Public Health Emergency Team and Dr Tony Holohan, saying that the Irish public should be full of gratitude for their work in the last 18 months.
The Tánaiste, who infamously took shots at the team and Dr Holohan while appearing on Claire Byrne Live in October of 2020.
But speaking at a press conference after Ireland's roadmap to normality was revealed, he seems to have changed his attitude in the months since.
Mr Varadkar said of NPHET: "Most of the advice they have given us has been right most of the time. That certainly isn't easy in this line of work, and you must remember that most members of NPHET also have full time jobs.
"The entirety of our society owes them an enormous debt of gratitude."
Mr Varadkar also confirmed that NPHET would have a "less public" role in future, though he did note that this iteration was not the first NPHET that had been put together to deal with a pandemic, making reference to the swine flu pandemic of 2009.
October 22 is the golden date by which top officials hope to see a return to normality.
One key difference will be the wearing of face masks, which will still be required on public transport and in certain indoor settings until next spring.
Addressing the nation on Tuesday evening, Micheal Martin said: "We've had to accept restrictions on our personal freedom that would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago."
He went on to say that all rules over the past 18 months were necessary to protect both lives and public health.
He said this demanded policies that have often been frustrating for the public.
