marno21 wrote: » The restrictions will become very difficult to enforce and borderline worthless unless there is a clear roadmap published within the next few days. 2 weeks first until the 29th, then asking people to hunker down for 2 weeks, then just another 3 weeks. Indefinitely extending them with no exit strategy isn't feasible. Harris said on the 28th of March that it would be difficult to have these restrictions for more than 2 weeks. You have to ask how they plan to have them for more than 5 weeks. I'm not really sure what extending the current restrictions beyond May 5th will acheive. The vast majority of people have been compliant on the basis that these were a temporary measure, and much of the issues caused to date has been in environments which have seen failure but not by the general public. The general public is not responsible for the mess that the nursing homes situation has become. There needs to be at least some leeway given on the 5th, even something minor to help people cope with this. The people around here who are in favour of continuous lockdown seem to be unaware of the effect that the lockdown is having on the general public. It's also going to be the cause of longer term issues of people avoiding the healthcare system when they are being faced with very preventable and treatable medical conditions. And that's before we talk about the vast numbers of unemployed and how unsustainable this is. And before someone pipes up about health vs "the economy". Lets not forget that the reason we have such amazing life expectancy and general healthcare outcomes is because of the economy. The HSE don't have a money tree, no matter how much they believe they do at times.
Kermit.de.frog wrote: » The other alternative is to implement an actual lock down like in Italy with army and Gardai on the streets for 2 weeks. Everyone confined to their homes and 1 person allowed from each family to obtain supplies every 2 days. Prison and fines for anyone breaking the quarantine. Had those type of measures been taken in the beginning we would be opening up already. If people want a really speedy outcome that is an option. Avoiding tough choices means prolonging the situation for everyone.
Zx6rdub wrote: » I'm hgv driver. Have not stopped in 5 weeks, iv slept and lived from my truck Sunday am to Friday pm. My usual shift has stopped, many agencie staff gone, left to me an others in the trade to do our part. I'd love nothing more then to go fishing with me aul lad, go park an watch me ma with my kids. I can't. Cause you need grub. A month ago everyone on this site was all for eire. Now moaning about no pre planned fornight planner. I'd happily sit on me arse if one of you muppets want to drive the truck? Eire me ballox. If you can't listen to guidelines to the 5th, with a world pandemic. I may aswel quit an get the 350
SusieBlue wrote: » Why? For what? The whole aim of lockdown was to buy time, Harris, Leo & Tony H are quoted to have said the same many times over. To buy time to prepare the hospitals and free up beds and implement social distancing protocol in the general public. To prevent a surge so our hospitals wouldn’t collapse like in Italy and Spain. The lockdown was never supposed to get rid of the virus or bring the number down to zero, and it isn’t a magic solution. It was to give the health system time to get their house in order. We have done that, and flattened the curve to boot. We have achieved our goal and done what was asked of us. So why would more severe measures have been necessary and why would they be needed now? We are never going to get the number down to 0. The virus is here to stay and no amount of staying locked in our homes is going to change that. I mean, say we do as you suggest and completely lock down for another month and then what? The virus will still be here. There is no cure and no vaccine & we will be in exactly the same position then as we are in right now. There will be a spike in cases when any services resume regardless of when that occurs. Doesn’t matter if we do it tomorrow or if we do it next January, we will get the same outcome. Prolonging the lockdown achieves absolutely nothing except putting off the inevitable and further lowering morale and adherence. It was to buy time and prepare and we have done that. Regardless, the current issue is with nursing homes and care facilities and that is purely the governments fault and no reflection on the efforts the majority of Irish people have put in. It will absolutely get to the point where people won’t stand for it and will start to do as they please and that will have FAR more dangerous consequences than a controlled reopening of society with clear rules and guidelines.
Arghus wrote: » The curve was flattened, but the potential is still there for a massive spike again once restrictions are even partially lifted. We've had over a month of stringent controls on people's movements. Schools closed when there was 70 cases and 1 death. Even after a month of the vast majority of people not mixing and moving about, the daily rate of new cases is in the hundreds, there has been 1100 deaths and there's currently 1000 people in hospital with Covid. We were coming off a low base in terms of numbers of cases and clamped down pretty hard for an extended period of time, but the numbers still exploded. If we take our foot off the gas now God only knows how catastrophic it could get.
SusieBlue wrote: » I don’t disagree with you, you actually just proved my point. We cannot stay holed up in our houses for 12-18months until a vaccine is found. No matter when we open things back up, that spike is going to happen. Whether it’s now or next year it will happen and there will be the same outcome. We are never going to get the number to zero and the virus is going nowhere. Society needs to adapt to this new life if we have any hope of recovering from this at all. The goal was to prepare the health system & buy time to put strategies in place and we have done that. Suggesting we continue lockdown for an indefinite amount of time as a magic remedy to a virus we have NO CURE for is absolutely preposterous. Imagine we stay at home for another 3/6/12 months and get the numbers to zero and then what? We open things up and they spike again. Meanwhile there will be mass unemployment, business closures, huge financial difficulties, billions of € of debt, mental health issues, homes lost, suicides, zero opportunity for people to better themselves not to mention the deaths of people who could not access ‘non urgent’ surgeries and healthcare because our hospitals are currently paralysed waiting for the surge that isn’t coming because we are all at home. How on earth could anyone think that’s a preferable alternative?
SusieBlue wrote: » Can I just also say that no life is more important or holds more value than the next, it’s absolutely awful and breaks my heart that covid-19 is killing people and taking their futures away but the flip side of that coin is that the restrictions/lockdown will also cost lives and take people’s futures away too. Neither is worse than the other and both should give everyone cause for concern. So far I’m seeing a lot of acknowledgment of the suffering corona is inflicting on people & their families, but more of a ‘suck it up buttercup’ attitude towards those who are finding current restrictions unbearable, and that is completely unfair. A balance must be struck between the two that fairly serves the best interests of all of us. A free for all isn’t in our best interests but indefinite house arrest isn’t in our best interests either. Sacrificing one for the other, on both sides of the coin, is not something we should be aspiring to whatsoever and a middle ground needs to be found.
Arghus wrote: » Is that even feasible? I don't think the manpower exists to enforce that kind of lockdown even if they wanted to.
Arghus wrote: A friend was talking to me yesterday and he was complaining that he was bored inside. He's still getting paid every week, more than I am, and he doesn't have to leave his house to put himself in harms way. That fella has no idea how lucky he is. And I hear more and more of that crap everyday. It would drive you mad listening to that. I would fcking love to trade places.
deekster wrote: »
Better Than Christ wrote: » I'm still working and putting myself in harm's way, but I consider myself a hell of a lot luckier than those stuck at home. The boredom would kill me - I dread my days off now as it is. There's only so much Netflix I can watch. I'm 100% sure I'd end up finding ways of breaching the restrictions, or at least stretching them to their limits.
Thespoofer wrote: » Is this fake? If genuine don't see anything about construction going back.
drunkmonkey wrote: » I don't believe the Times or Indo after listening to Cillian De Gascun on newsnight last night, I expect them to start advising people to stop using gloves and possibly masks as they both can increase your chances of infection, distancing and hand washing as advised from the start will have to be reinforced. He did say we should be rewarded, contact tracing and testing need to be improved, testing is 2/3 weeks out. It's worth catching up on if you didn't see it.
Arghus wrote: » I agree that it isn't feasible to expect people to continue to stay inside etc, etc for an indefinite period of time, but as it stands it is still too early to relax restrictions. The numbers are still too high. That is just a basic fundamental fact. May 5th is bullsht. Of course the lockdown is causing emotional, physical and mental suffering. Of course it's incredibly damaging for the economy. But the inevitable additional avoidable deaths and suffering that will occur will have an even greater impact. If the shackles are off this thing will kill a lot more. And certain death is more damaging than hypothetical depression. This is bad, this is difficult, but the alternative is much worse. We can't loosen restrictions until the testing and contact system works as it should and has the capacity to cope. That does not exist at the moment, but it's something that could conceivably exist in the short to medium. If the case numbers can be reduced to a manageable amount each day - certainly not hundreds each day - and if all the procedures to test and contract trace are set up and robust enough to do their job, then I think, yeah, a phased reduction of restrictions is warranted. If we're lucky that could be achievable by the end of May, but June is more likely. All of this has to be in place. You won't eradicate the virus, but you can delay it and contain its spread. The HSE/ government need to grow some balls and spell it out for people.
Gael23 wrote: » Didn’t see that. What did he say?
drunkmonkey wrote: » Kinda what I just said. Worth a watch. He did say we need a reward for our good job. Contact tracing is a problem and he won't have the testing labs at capacity for 2.5 weeks. Your playing with fire using gloves and masks in public.
The Belly wrote: » Ok but 4 have closed that means there is one might survive but 4 that went to the wall. Why because the vast majority of that town is unemployed. Its not doomsday its a fact and it has all happended before.
Gael23 wrote: » He said similar earlier yesterday but I felt Holohan was contradicting him so not sure what to think
combat14 wrote: » so 80% business rate failure is not doomsday..
uli84 wrote: » Ffs, this is ridiculous, I was obeying but if it continues I won’t anymore, countries much more affected are opening up. High risk myself but sick of it and at the edge of breaking down.
