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

Diabhalta wrote: »

so WHO recommends wearing a face mask only if you have cough, fever and difficulty breathing...

yet people are asked to wear a mask in shops here. I would like to see the government's research on this. Or they just decided because they think it's a good idea?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ded_AxFfJoQ

Presumably it’s to counteract Asymptomatic spread

Leroy42 wrote: »

Rubbish. There was a massive shortage of PPE back in February and based on the rush for toilet rolls, gels gloves etc if they had stated that masks were required the hospitals would have been struggling.

A homemade mask will do now and even encouraged from what I've seen in the Irish Times, so why weren't homemade masks advised back in February and March?

MadYaker wrote: »

That's from February. People are being asked to wear them in shops all over the world now its not just here.

Where do you get your information from? I don't think you know what you're talking about.

CalamariFritti wrote: »

So anyway - since this is the relaxation thread am I right in saying this is the end of relaxations? With our current approach this is as far as we can open up? And schools and colleges may tip us over the edge anyway? No phase 4 ever and forget about pubs and nightclubs and concerts and matches and everything? Suck it up if you're 22, you can always find a girlfriend when you're 30? This is the new normal? Its pretty ****in straight and you better get used to it?

Sort of seems we have hit a brick wall alright. Especially with that report today about three children testing positive in the creche in Meath.
It's seriously disheartening and the media are jumping all over everything to make things as dramatic as possible. I live in North Kildare and expect that we will remain in our phase 2.5 way into September anyway.

CalamariFritti wrote: »

So anyway - since this is the relaxation thread am I right in saying this is the end of relaxations? With our current approach this is as far as we can open up? And schools and colleges may tip us over the edge anyway? No phase 4 ever and forget about pubs and nightclubs and concerts and matches and everything? Suck it up if you're 22, you can always find a girlfriend when you're 30? This is the new normal? Its pretty ****in straight and you better get used to it?

If the virus is spreading this is as good as it gets for now. We can relax upto the point where it starts to spread again.

There are things we all can do which will bring the R0 number back down again and give us more room to relax restrictions (e.g. masks, social distancing), but obviously for some people that's too much effort.

Schools are now a problem. We have to get schools open, and we know there will inevitably be some extra spread as a consequence. We can't open schools without freeing up R0 space, and this will be difficult to manage.

We'll have a vaccine next year, and this is something we can use to substantially reduce the spread rate. If people take it - if enough do, we get to phase 4 and further.

Limpy wrote: »

Putting on a mask is pretty simple. Its not something to get bogged down on. Its not mind control ffs.

It becomes that in a roundabout way when we impose it on you even though we know its probably bull. But we do it anyway because it suits us right now.

hmmm wrote: »

It's grim right now, but we'll hopefully be here next year and about to see the end of this. The 1918 flu was horrific, but it was followed by the roaring twenties - people went through so much pain that the following decade was the party decade to make up for it.

Best not to focus too much on what came after the roaring twenties so!

Limpy wrote: »

What if the vaccine causes More death's then the virus. So many if's and buts, that's not a good way to make policy.

We know 99.9% of people won't die from covid. Lets build a policy that ensures the 99.9% can carry on. At the sane time set up proper isolation areas for the 0.01%. protect them, by isolation untill a vaccine. If no vaccine then atleast the economy will be not as bad.

None of those stats are correct.

The vaccine will be tested, and regulators won't be signing off if they think there is a risk. Some of the front-runners (e.g. Oxford) are vaccines which have been in development for over a decade because they have been based on previous coronavirus. The phase 3 trials alone are testing 30,000 people at a time, of all ages.

hmmm wrote: »

We'll have a vaccine next year, and this is something we can use to substantially reduce the spread rate. If people take it - if enough do, we get to phase 4 and further.

And what if there is no vaccine next year? Or for 5 years, or ever?

The assumption that we can stay like this because of this wing and prayer for a magic bullet vaccine is bananas, and is in reality a desire to stay like this in perpetuity. Or is there a cut off point? And if there is, what is that plan? And whats the point in waiting for months or years of misery first. We should be getting on with it.

Otherwise whats the point of anything? Throw away modern life? That is not acceptable to me and shouldn't be for most. Wear a mask for the rest of existence and throw away everything that is currently banned/not happening? Life has to go on. We're just self inflicting misery until that penny drops.

hmmm wrote: »

We're on track to have a vaccine next year (multiple vaccines actually). Why are you getting twisted up in stress about something that might never happen? We're also developing much better treatments, and should have a few antibody cocktails available by the end of the year.

And again, what if there isn't? Humour me.


As an aside, I think the vaccine even if there is one is going to be more like a global placebo - a big announcement, governments and scientists hail it (and themselves) the saviour and the world starts going back to normal. Even though it will take so long and be logistically so difficult to roll this out globally to enough people to make a difference, we'll go back to normal and the daily figures of doom and gloom get ignored because the vaccine is here.

57 cases today.

YAWN!!!

hmmm wrote: »

You've already made your mind up, but for most people the restrictions are sustainable while we wait for a vaccine and better treatments. Wearing a mask isn't going to kill us.

They aren’t sustainable- financially or socially. You’ve clearly bought into the yarn (as have the vast majority to be fair) that we can go borrowing forever if we need to. You don’t have to look back very far to see that is fantasy.
Ireland’s bonds rise and it’s game over. Swinging cuts to welfare, public pay and services soon follow. We might cobble away until the end of the year the way we are but hard decisions will eventually have to be made if things deteriorate. I see nothing as of now to suggest this wouldn’t be a distinct possibly. Literally everyone is screaming for funding right now and tax revenues are falling through the floor

hmmm wrote: »

You've already made your mind up, but for most people the restrictions are sustainable while we wait for a vaccine and better treatments. Wearing a mask isn't going to kill us.

It's telling you still refuse to answer the straight question.

I can only deduce then that you would be happy for life to stay like this for however many years it takes for the vaccine/treatment to arrive or forever if it doesn't.

Thierry12 wrote: »

Little point giving a vaccine to people that don't even get sick

Why not? Won’t it help break the chain of spread? A vaccine doesn’t need to be 100% effective.