Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII *Read OP For Mod Warnings*

Hector Savage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923139#Comment_117923139

At least you are getting back to normal, I live in Spain and they will NEVER remove the mask mandate.

Not an exaggeration either, still 99.9% of people wearing them outdoors.

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923113#Comment_117923113

Are they though?

Hector Savage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923164#Comment_117923164

I saw an interview with Nigel Farage with the telegraf, so maybe, but it is surprising since they are so ahead in terms of living like it's 2019 ...

stephenjmcd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923210#Comment_117923210

You should have stopped reading as soon as the name Nigel Farage was mentioned

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923210#Comment_117923210

Nigel Farage....telegraf

There's your problem...

Parachutes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923113#Comment_117923113

Getting people used to the idea nice and early, being cheerleaded as we speak by certain establishments of the left wing press.

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922439#Comment_117922439

Nowhere in the western world had planning in place. The attitude appeared to be that like the Acute Severe Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002 Covid-19 was an Asia based outbreak and would like SARS most likely burn itself out. It was only when "the fake videos of people dropping dead in the street" became all too real with footage of the Italian army transporting the dead to temporary morgues where the health service collapsed in Bergamo that authorities woke up.

At that point nobody really knew the best way to handle it. It was obvious that travel was spreading the virus and allowing it to spread was going to result in health systems, similar to Bergamo, collapsing and adding to deaths. It was pretty obvious that with wide-scale infections and deaths economies were not going to function in any meaningful manner either. The vast majority of countries, went with lockdown in an attempt to counter infections and deaths. At the time without a vaccine there were no other alternatives. Initially the U.K., the Netherlands and Sweden went with the idea of allowing the virus to spread hoping to gain herd immunity, but with rising infections and deaths that policy was quickly reversed by both the U.K. and Netherlands and later in October by Sweden.

At that point everywhere was scrambling looking for extra PPE and ventilators and with demand greatly exceed production there was a worldwide shortage. We were luckier that most on PPE in that we got large quantities quickly due to personal contacts with suppliers in China. Nobody is saying that moving patients from hospitals to nursing homes from hospitals was not a mistake, but it was a mistaken made by many other countries as well. From the large numbers of infections that were contracted in nursing homes and hospitals it does raise the question though. Now knowing what vaccines can do to counteract this virus, should we be following the mandatory requirements on vaccination that some countries already had prior to this pandemic, and the U.S and France among other have recently introduced, for all hospital and nursing home care providers.

seamus

@charlie14 wrote:

From the large numbers of infections that were contracted in nursing homes and hospitals it does raise the question though.

Vaccination requirements aside, it does also raise questions about whether we had the balance between dignity and infection control right in hospitals and nursing homes. It's been the norm for years to let every dog and divil in to visit patients in hospitals. Some specialist hospitals (like maternity ones) and specialist wards would often put rules in place to avoid outbreaks, but otherwise it was something of a free-for-all. Sniffly noses, coughs and colds, all wandering around hospitals putting staff and patients at risk.

Ultimately it's this policy which allowed covid to get in and devastate hospitals and nursing homes at the very start. Before there was any restrictions, before we had our first confirmed case.

Perhaps revolving door visiting of patients was acceptable before mobile phones and WhatsApp, but it seems distinctly unnecessary now. Standard limits on who may visit a patient (in a ward) and basic health checks and basic health measures like masks and hand sanitising on entering the hospital seem like a no-brainer after all we've been through.

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923640#Comment_117923640

Totally agree on the need for much tighter controls on who is allowed to wander freely around nursing homes and hospitals.

There has been a lot of controversy over who is allowed attend scans etc. in maternity hospitals. I could fully understand pregnant women having to make these visits having low percentages of vaccination and had a lot of sympathy for them having to attend without partners. Much of that went out the window a month ago where a survey by the Rotunda Maternity Hospital showed that just 41% of these partners had been vaccinated.

Even after lockdown restrictions on visitors to nursing homes there were still high incidents of infections and deaths. On that basis I believe in is inevitable that at the very least, we are going to have to address the question of care staff for the most vulnerable and those operating within certain areas as well as visitors to those areas in hospitals and their vaccination status

bear1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117919230#Comment_117919230

Well it just isn't the end but you seem to have an issue with that

bear1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117919989#Comment_117919989

There's that lack of understanding I was talking about earlier.

How in god's name did you manage to compare mask wearing to seat belts? They are in no way the exact same.

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924051#Comment_117924051

So what.

The point is that wearing a mask around the shop is not really a restriction on your personal freedoms. Neither is wearing a seat belt in a car.

Hence on October 22nd covid restrictions are pretty much done.

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924047#Comment_117924047

But Oct 22nd is the end. There seems to be a lack of understanding on your part tbh.

You seem to be clinging to the notion that sporadic wearing of masks amounts to restrictions being in place.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924104#Comment_117924104

Mask wearing continuing past october 22nd is a restriction still in place.

Unless you think mandatory mask wearing was a thing pre-covid?

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924296#Comment_117924296

Look if people want to cling to the notion that wearing a mask amounts to a continuation of restrictions and that covid will still be interfering with our lives come November that's cool if they find comfort in that.

In real terms sporadic mask wearing won't restrict anybodies life in any way shape or form, its a minor inconvenience at best.

In November we will have pubs jammed to the rafters and not a restriction in place.

How sporadic mask wearing is going to make even the tiniest dent in cases in November is beyond me.

I see sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923289#Comment_117923289

There's absolutely no chance of another lockdown in the UK, trust me.

bikeman1

For anyone who says that after 22nd of October (yes ANOTHER full month away from today) that the wearing of masks in shops and other settings plus public transport is not a restriction, well I have to say that you are wrong. That is a restriction on me. Most people I know hate them, never wear them in private. Many don't wear them properly and I use the same mask for days on end before changing.

I was in Hungary during the summer, no masks needed anywhere that we will still have in a months time. It is pure theatre, like the nonsense of my local on a Friday evening requiring you to wear a mask going to the toilet, but sit in the busy pub all evening long with no mask and tables of 6 everywhere and various folk meeting up for drinks. Completely pointless and just for show.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924607#Comment_117924607

If only Ireland was more like Hungary

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924607#Comment_117924607

I agree its pure covid theatre.

In fact its a political decision not to declare it "freedom day" as that might in some way seem to admit that Boris may have got it right months before us.

Sporadic mask wearing is pointless to stop the spread.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923139#Comment_117923139

Its a different world over there. I was there for the weekend and the difference was night and day

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924345#Comment_117924345

Of course its a restriction - its a mandated extra action you have to take, that we did not have to take prior to covid-19. How is it not?

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924968#Comment_117924968

Yep and like said many times our weak leadership topped with a crippling health service is the reason we are where we are

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923210#Comment_117923210

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923289#Comment_117923289

Nigel Farrage being interviewed by the telegraph is considered left wing press now? COVID has really fucked with reality hasn't it?

Now in fairness a quick google and I do see every second British newspaper article talking about a lockdown in October, some are saying it won't happen and that Boris has a plan to not let it happen... Most are talking about the current situation in New Zealand and Australia though

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924968#Comment_117924968

Pray tell what is the difference? Were you literally just there during the night and only saw daylight when you got back?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924024#Comment_117924024

There will be nothing done about mandatory vaccinations in nursing homes.

This is badly paid hard unrewarding work, a huge amount of it is undertaken by non national staff who cant get employment anywhere else

So make vaccination mandatory and the nursing home cant operate. If you had any experience of visiting nursing homes you would have some clue of the reality of them.

we have a huge shortage of nurses too and a problem with burnout.You can talk about redeploying health care staff but where do you deploy them too and how do we replace them.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924783#Comment_117924783

Sporadic mask wearing is pointless now? Yikes the logic has truly gone out the window

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117925172#Comment_117925172

Tell me how wearing a mask going into a spar is going to make a blind bit of difference when you go to a gig in the 3 arena with 13000 people an hour later.

Seriously, what difference is sporadic wearing a mask going to make in the overall scheme of things.

Nyero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924990#Comment_117924990

At this stage if you want to consider it a restriction and that keeps you happy to believe that covid is still a thing for you thats fine by me.

For me its a minor inconvenience to be seen to be enjoying the covid theatre as they don't want to do a Boris style "freedom day"

Richard Hillman

18 months in and still no solid evidence into how masks make any difference.

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117925123#Comment_117925123

Unfortunately I have had very extensive experience of visiting nursing home.

The wages for many employed in them may not be great, and many may be non national, but why should that be a problem with them being vaccinated or why would it result in nursing homes being unable to operate ?

A poster mentioned here today that we should be more like Hungary.

In Hungary it is now mandatory for all health care employees to be vaccinated with no redeployment if they are not. Same for other countries, with both France and the U`S now doing the same. I cannot see when the review of how we handled this epidemic takes place that healthcare worker vaccination status will not be a consideration.