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

Idbatterim wrote: »

they are all one and the same voice here anyway. But MM probably saw the FG surge in support with the lock it all down mentality and is just continuing on from there...

there is zero difference here between the previous government and this one, on how this is and was being handled...

The issue we have here is weak, vain politicians who at the upper levels are completely insulated from the day-to-day life of the people they supposedly represent.

We had Leo who is all about his ego and profile and, despite not being Taoiseach anymore, still can't resist speaking out of turn to get himself in the news.

We have Micheal whose only goal was to not be the only FF leader who wasn't Taoiseach.

Then you have the supporting cast of career politicians who "inherited" their seat or have been in politics since their student days with little real-world experience in business or otherwise. Or the similarly comfortable gaggle of teachers and lawyers.

Along comes the virus. Nothing done to prepare the country until the news breaks of the first infections. Then it's straight into lockdown (which to be fair, given the situation at the time - HSE not ready, get people's attention etc - was the right move), but since then both Leo and now Micheal have completely delegated the decisions to a group of medical professionals who by their very nature are ultra-conservative and only looking at the situation from one angle.

The reason for this is:

1) the politicians don't have the knowledge or skill to deal with the crisis (even before Covid they've again proven incapable of dealing with those other crisis that haven't gone away either - housing, health, rural/urban economic divides etc)

2) they're terrified of being held to account in the inevitable elections and tribunals that will follow when this is finally all over - although history has shown us that nothing will actually happen to them anyway, but it'll cost the taxpayer millions in legal fees

3) they have an eye on their EU/lecture circuit retirement plans and so are quite happy to point to other EU states for guidance

So, it's no surprise that the new Government are continuing exactly where the last one left off - after all, it's made up of half the same people.

This isn't part a conspiracy, or global plot to ruin countries - it's local incompetence as usual!

BOI slashing 1400 jobs I see.

Sweden has performed markedly better than the rest of Europe with the recent economic reports, all the while a citizen over 65 has been as safe in Sweden as Ireland from Covid.

I think we can safely say, even before the official inquest, the restrictions are a load of bolix, and Sweden are leading the way on how to deal with Covid

ABSURD!!!

What? Everything.

polesheep wrote: »

Nonsense. One suggests taking any action required other than restrictions and the other, your interpretation, suggests hoping for the best.

....it doesn't suggest what the actions are....I never said "hoping for the best" but it seems to pretty much amount to that yes.

polesheep wrote: »

There are still many areas of life and labour closed or so heavily restricted as to make them almost meaningless. But what is more important is normality for society and an economy that is functioning normally. I make no bones as to my position. I nailed my colours to the mast right from the start. We knew back in February who was going to most affected by Covid 19 and we had an obligation to protect those people and separate them from the risk, thereby also allowing society to go on as near normal as possible. But 'We're all in this together' became the mantra. No one cohort was to be singled out for special attention (the irony there) and we had a wipeout in our nursing/care homes that seems to have been successfully brushed under the carpet. Now, we find that many from that cohort are actually using their own initiative to take some precautions and protect themselves - especially the nursing homes. Despite hysterical overreactions and extreme outliers this virus is not dangerous to the vast majority of the population. The authorities got it wrong and now they are on a track with no turning with their fingers crossed in the hope of a vaccine.

What areas of life and labour are closed or so heavily restricted to make them almost meaningless?
So you mean pubs, clubs, what else?
You do know even people that survive and/or have mild symptoms could have longer terms health implications? A lot of people who had had SARs and MERs have.
Early studies look like covid-19 could cause really serious longer term issues.
The below I admittedly a small sample size but it is peer reviewed.
https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1290916583137738752?s=19
There are others as well.

The nursing homes were a disaster there is no disagreement they were horrendously under-supported when they needed the most support.

polesheep wrote: »

And what has that statement got to do with the posts that came before?

Protests were being discussed. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about.

FintanMcluskey wrote: »

BOI slashing 1400 jobs I see.

Sweden has performed markedly better than the rest of Europe with the recent economic reports, all the while a citizen over 65 has been as safe in Sweden as Ireland from Covid.

I think we can safely say, even before the official inquest, the restrictions are a load of bolix, and Sweden are leading the way on how to deal with Covid

Which economic reports?

Meanwhile Covid deaths passed 700k yesterday. 700,000 people dead since March. There are between 5 and 6 thousand Covid deaths a day, every day at the moment. At this rate there will be close to 750k dead by the end of next week. 1 million dead by the end of September. That is with unilateral global restrictions in place. Nowhere in the world has lifted all restrictions, nowhere in the world is living like they did in December 2019, yet over 700k people have still died.

And the reasoning for not entering phase 4 from NPHET

"Significant clusters of new Covid-19 cases have been identified in direct provision centres, among the Traveller community and in meat factories, according to advice given to Government by public health officials.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) highlighted the number of clusters in all three settings and among people in the Roma community and in homelessness services when warning against entering into Phase Four of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business."


Further down in the article,

"This included 21 outbreaks in Direct Provision Centres involving 235 individual cases – and 47 new cases centre in four clusters were identified in the last week.

Separately, there have been 10 coronavirus outbreaks among the Traveller Community which involved 89 people testing positive for Covid-19. In the past week, 21 new cases relating to two clusters have been linked to the Traveller community.

Health officials identified 51 workplace clusters of the virus with almost half (24) linked to meat processing plants around the country. There have been two outbreaks in meat factories in the last week involving 47 new cases."

https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/revealed-nphet-highlights-clusters-in-direct-provision-centres-and-among-traveller-and-roma-communities-39425359.html?__twitter_impression=true