Relaxation of Restrictions, Part IV - **Read OP for Mod Warnings**

Ginger n Lemon wrote: »

I am so upset.

I just dont understand how? How are businesses still being kept closed? Have we not had a great victory in flattening the curve, what we've been asked to do? What thousands of businesses been asked to do? Curve was flattened back in 2nd week of May.

2 deaths WITH covid this week so far. On average, over 70 people died from cancer alone this week. Perspective is a good thing to have.

We are keeping over 30,000 out of work for this? 3 more weeks? 3 more weeks for what? for some cowards to feel "safer"??? For "medical advice" crowd to feel better about what absolute massacre of SME businesses has been conducted in Ireland?

You have hundreds of thousands, millions actually, of healthy people wearing masks for absolutely no reason. For a "suspicion that they could have covid and start sneezing uncontrollably in other peoples faces". Absolute rubbish. Washing hands 10 times + a day? This is a definition of paranoia.

We live in a republic of medical advice, not the republic of Ireland.

You go on and on about how the EU is doing it so much better than us when it comes to reopening.

You neglect the fact that a lot of them have been wearing masks for months now. Yet when our Government want to bring in masks, you rubbish it.

Regardless of your point of view, there really is nothing worse than someone picking & choosing and ignoring facts when stating their opinions.

Naos wrote: »

This right here is what needs to change. Allow cafe's and shops to sell beer like the vast majority of the EU. Allow us to buy alcohol after 10pm and before 12:30pm on a Sunday.

And who is going to oppose this? That's right. The publicans & the VFI.

An attempt was made a couple of years ago by Michael McDowell but the protectionists bet that back.

Coybig_ wrote: »

Because of our response and the measures that we implemented, the societal norms that have taken hold.

Nobody had any information about the virus at the beginning. Now everyone knows what we are dealing with. We know that the elderly or people with more existing conditions are the people who have to be afraid of this.

We know that social distancing stops the virus. We know to only travel to other green countries when travel is allowed. We know to wash our hands repeatedly. We know to wear masks on public transport. We know to work from home where possible. We know to book into gyms and restaurants. We know to stay at home if you have any symptom. We have a Covid app with close to 1.5 million downloads. We have efficient contact tracing protocols in place.

Comparing us to the USA is absolutely absurd. Compare us to EU countries, which is what we are, who adopted similar lockdown protocol to us and are now reopen.

The conditions do not exist for this ridiculous exponential growth to occur.

I think this discussion started off by you saying young people shouldn't have to suck it up longterm which was a response to me saying they should give up on the house parties until there's a vaccine. House parties are a perfect breeding ground for covid 19. Very unlikely they are going to be wearing masks at them. Then they bring it elsewhere such as home and if you have no restrictions they bring it to their grandparents. Before long you have a large cluster as well as countless contacts. This is how you go from one case at the party to dozens of cases.

Its already been shown in pubs in the US.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/17/us/group-tests-positive-florida-bar/index.html

A group of 16 friends all tested positive for coronavirus after a night out at a recently reopened Florida bar.

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/florida-bars-license-suspended-after-41-workers-and-patrons-test-positive-for-covid-19/2252648/

A popular bar in central Florida where dozens of workers and patrons have come down with the new coronavirus had its alcohol license suspended after a state inspector found patrons weren't socially distancing and following other rules meant to slow the virus' spread.
At least 13 employees and 28 patrons have tested positive for COVID-19 at the The Knight's Pub, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said late Monday in a statement.
But the number of cases linked to the bar could be much higher. Dr. Raul Pino, a state health officer in Orlando, said Monday, without naming the establishment, that a bar near the University of Central Florida campus had been linked to 152 coronavirus cases.

Mask wearing is very common place in the US now, probably more so than Ireland. Hasn't stopped a huge explosion in cases though.

MickeyLeari wrote: »

They changed the laws with late opening on a Thursday and then changed them back. We live in a very regulated and restricted society which is getting even more restricted.

I expect in the coming months as other countries recover from this there will be a hell of a lot of one way tickets bought to escape this place.

You know full well that as a society that the restrictions are purely on the basis of public health, just like they have been rolled out across the world to where all these people may buy their imaginary plane tickets to.

tobefrank321 wrote: »

I would call house parties and pubs unmitigated - you can't wear masks in a pub and after a few drinks social distancing goes out the window.

But its madness to ban pub openings and not parties. They are both equally risky.

Being able to plot an exponential curve does not make it reality.

tobefrank321 wrote: »

You are right.

It could be worse.

You could easily have a cluster of 20 at a house party or pub. And if the R0 in the community is about 1.5 as it is now, you will certainly see a massive explosion over a few weeks.

So thanks for pointing that out.

Still think people will wear masks at house parties or in pubs? Or restaurants, hotel rooms or at home?

I think you've woken up in March again! It's a different world now,apart from the US of course.

tobefrank321 wrote: »

<snip>
Not banning flights from red zones like Texas and Florida.

Seeding of new cases from foreign travel - already admitted by CMO and acting CMO.

Also people returning from holidays. Then sending their children into school.
<snip>
.

sorry, but without background information you cannot link cases related to "foreign travel" and "people returning from holidays"

The one really publicised case was a cluster in Sligo related to someone coming back from a really really high risk area, Iraq, and then seemingly taking little care when meeting their relatives on arrival.
Iraq wouldnt be your normal family summer holiday destination to start with, and no doubt there was close contact with family in Iraq, maybe stretching to farewell house parties, immediately before they departed for Ireland.
Its a far cry from driving in a car with your family to a campsite in France and staying in self catering accomodation for 2 weeks and enjoying lots of fresh, clean, air in an area with low to non existant infection rates.

That case became public but the other clusters havent and theres zero public evidence that the remaining cases being used to ban holidays, are actually holiday related.
The authorities are looking to base an ultra restrictive plan based on propagating fear through fuzzy claims of travel being a high danger rather than clear publicly stated facts.

Sure even the "cluster" in Killarney after a house party was just 1 person who tested positive (aside from the initial person) which again was twisting the facts to fit the message.

stephenjmcd wrote: »

https://twitter.com/barryfromhome/status/1283507347504214018?s=19

"Pubs: Responsible for managing consumption/drunkenness/behaviour.
House Party: N/a"

Would they ever go away with that nonsense. The pubs & VFI said the same thing when it came to off licenses. You would swear we never see drunk people in pubs the way they go on. If they are so responsible, why do they continue to pull pints for alcoholics who are clearing in a dire way?

Rubbish. People have a short memory on how some Publicans and the VFI have behaved in the past when it comes to overcharging & interfering in our drinking laws.

Hurrache wrote: »

I've never been drunker than what I've been when in a pub.

Pub = unlimited alcohol until blackout.
House party = there is a finite amount of alcohol, though can still blackout.

Btw - I love a pint and had one (three) about 2 weeks ago with food. I feel terrible for all the bar staff out of work, I just cannot stand the VFI cronies trying to come across as if they are looking out for our best interests when they have never done so in the past.

sliabh 1956 wrote: »

Are Churches still restricted to 50 people gathering for pubic meetings

I'd like an answer to this too please, cant find any reference in any news source. My Dad ( who is very religious, unlike myself) says had a chat with his PP this morning, and the priest is adamant the previously agreed exemption applies. That's not my reading, as I think it was an exemption for Stage 4. My dad's in his 70s, in good health, but he, and we, have been very careful. Dont think a big congregation a great idea ( but if events with big crowds on I know he'll go!)

Hurrache wrote: »

I've never been drunker than what I've been when in a pub.

Hardly surprising when you have never been to a house party where you didn't know everyone.

Jackman25 wrote: »

Hardly surprising when you have never been to a house party where you didn't know everyone.

Still waiting for you to back up your diarrhea posts on this.

Are you going to try this time or once again scurry away when pulled up on your lies?