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Christmas around the corner Irish Americans comimg home

  • 30-09-2020 6:11pm
    #1
    IrishHomer
    Registered Users Posts: 2,935 ✭✭✭


    Christmas is just around the corner and for Irish Americans who travel home for the holidays need to book long in advance.

    I know several who gave booked and have no regard for self isolating etc.

    What's the story does the HSE or government have any plans how to deal with this?


Comments

  • #2
    The_Brood
    Closed Accounts Posts: 838 ✭✭✭The_Brood


    They don't. They'll keep us locked down (or "partial" lockdown) forever but American tourists continue coming in no problem. In the summer time touristy towns were packed with Americans who couldn't care less. Same will happen at Christmas.


  • #3
    3xh
    Registered Users Posts: 594 ✭✭✭3xh


    Great to see them come home, kids in tow too to see the grandparents. It’ll do wonders to cheer some families up after months of lockdown, NPHET case figures and dreary weather.

    They’ll be wearing masks on the plane, be met either by family and taken straight to the family home or they’ll hire a car and do same.

    They’ll stay local, go for walks in the fresh air on Stephen’s Day and won’t bother anyone here.

    The economic boost from them will be needed by then.

    If you’re so worried, stay under the duvet for the 12 days. America isn’t the Covid cesspit the media tell you to think it is. The numbers are inflated. Like so many other countries have done to date with theirs.

    Just relax and enjoy your Christmas.


  • #4
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,111 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    Nobody should be allowed in without proof of a negative test in the previous 3 days.


  • #5
    hynesie08
    Registered Users Posts: 9,683 ✭✭✭hynesie08


    3xh wrote: »
    Great to see them come home, kids in tow too to see the grandparents. It’ll do wonders to cheer some families up after months of lockdown, NPHET case figures and dreary weather.

    They’ll be wearing masks on the plane, be met either by family and taken straight to the family home or they’ll hire a car and do same.

    They’ll stay local, go for walks in the fresh air on Stephen’s Day and won’t bother anyone here.

    The economic boost from them will be needed by then.

    If you’re so worried, stay under the duvet for the 12 days. America isn’t the Covid cesspit the media tell you to think it is. The numbers are inflated. Like so many other countries have done to date with theirs.

    Just relax and enjoy your Christmas.

    Knowing our government, they'll let them in and lick down the country....


  • #6
    wellwhynot
    Registered Users Posts: 280 ✭✭wellwhynot


    IrishHomer wrote: »
    Christmas is just around the corner and for Irish Americans who travel home for the holidays need to book long in advance.

    I know several who gave booked and have no regard for self isolating etc.

    What's the story does the HSE or government have any plans how to deal with this?


    Em, you know we actually have Covid in Ireland and have for some time too? Do you think it will be magically gone by Christmas?


    Even if they are 120 per 100,000 and we are say 100 per 100,000 what real risk do you see that is different from Sean returning from his college halls in Galway to his extended family in Wexford?

    US cases will no doubt be less than ours by then with all our open/close restrictions.

    Good news is Covid deaths have flatlined for months and Flynn said the median age was late 80’s. To put it in context of the 2,900 or so people that died in the last month less than half a percent of them died from Covid. The elderly need to be protected particularly in the care homes. There are 28 outbreaks in nursing homes right now. That is the worry, not a few people flying in from the US.


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  • #7
    NH2013
    Registered Users Posts: 401 ✭✭NH2013


    USA cases per 100k per 7 days is currently at 90, Ireland is at 51, they're not even at twice the incidence, and if you look at certain states with large Irish populations such as the following, you'll even see you're at less risk of having these people over than our fellow Irish residents;

    NY @ 33 is significantly less likely there that someone from their has COVID than someone from Ireland https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html

    Massachusetts @ 52 is practically of equal risk
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/massachusetts-coronavirus-cases.html

    California @ 58 is only slightly worse than we are, effectively equal risk
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/california-coronavirus-cases.html



    So if you're happy for your neighbour to visit at Christmas, or son, daughter, brother or sister to visit over christmas, then logically looking at this, you should be happy that the risk is effectively equal or there abouts.


    This has little to do with travel and much more to do with the behaviour of people, much easier to pick up Covid in Ireland going out socialising than it is to pick it up in the USA but keeping to yourself, travel doesn't spread this, personal behaviours do.


  • #8
    3xh
    Registered Users Posts: 594 ✭✭✭3xh


    Thank you.


  • #9
    IrishHomer
    Registered Users Posts: 2,935 ✭✭✭IrishHomer


    NH2013 wrote: »
    USA cases per 100k per 7 days is currently at 90, Ireland is at 51, they're not even at twice the incidence, and if you look at certain states with large Irish populations such as the following, you'll even see you're at less risk of having these people over than our fellow Irish residents;

    NY @ 33 is significantly less likely there that someone from their has COVID than someone from Ireland https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html

    Massachusetts @ 52 is practically of equal risk
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/massachusetts-coronavirus-cases.html

    California @ 58 is only slightly worse than we are, effectively equal risk
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/california-coronavirus-cases.html



    So if you're happy for your neighbour to visit at Christmas, or son, daughter, brother or sister to visit over christmas, then logically looking at this, you should be happy that the risk is effectively equal or there abouts.


    This has little to do with travel and much more to do with the behaviour of people, much easier to pick up Covid in Ireland going out socialising than it is to pick it up in the USA but keeping to yourself, travel doesn't spread this, personal behaviours do.

    If travel doesn't spr ad it why is our government telling us not to travel since last March?


  • #10
    wellwhynot
    Registered Users Posts: 280 ✭✭wellwhynot


    IrishHomer wrote: »
    If travel doesn't spr ad it why is our government telling us not to travel since last March?

    They knew that they had screwed Irish businesses that relied on tourists. They wanted us to spend our money at home this summer like good little boys and girls. Other European countries opened their borders to tourists and their citizens took their holidays. Most have less cases than we do.


  • #11
    elperello
    Registered Users Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    I think it might be problematic if they want to be collected at the airport and come to stay in a relatives home.

    On the other hand if they hire a car and rent an Air BnB and practice social distancing when meeting friends and relatives it could be ok.


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  • #12
    bb1234567
    Registered Users Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    What's the obsession with demonising Americans as some ignorant diseased group? COVID is rampant almost worldwide, so I don't know why you'd focus on people from just this one country. Some regions of the US in fact such as NY and the North east in general are maintaining extremely well suppressed infection rates, better than all of Europe.


  • #13
    normanoffside
    Registered Users Posts: 9,923 ✭✭✭normanoffside


    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    Nobody should be allowed in without proof of a negative test in the previous 3 days.

    Agree. I think everyone would be happy to do that if they just brought in the rule and made it possible to get a test.
    Testing pre travel and on arrival is the way forward and I’m sure everyone who wants to travel will pay the costs to do so.


  • #14
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,111 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    normanoffside wrote: »
    Agree. I think everyone would be happy to do that if they just brought in the rule and made it possible to get a test.
    Testing pre travel and on arrival is the way forward and I’m sure everyone who wants to travel will pay the costs to do so.


    Exactly, I'd have no problem taking the test going in to any country in the world and it would actually make me feel safer that a country decided that such controls were in place.


  • #15
    MrMusician18
    Registered Users Posts: 7,195 ✭✭✭MrMusician18


    The_Brood wrote: »
    They don't. They'll keep us locked down (or "partial" lockdown) forever but American tourists continue coming in no problem. In the summer time touristy towns were packed with Americans who couldn't care less. Same will happen at Christmas.

    Id say hoteliers would beg to differ. International arrivals were well down over the summer. Some did travel and didn't isolate, but most did not travel.


  • #16
    ceadaoin.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,093 ✭✭✭ceadaoin.


    normanoffside wrote: »
    Agree. I think everyone would be happy to do that if they just brought in the rule and made it possible to get a test.
    Testing pre travel and on arrival is the way forward and I’m sure everyone who wants to travel will pay the costs to do so.

    United airlines here have started testing passengers. But they charge 250$. For a family, the costs would soon add up.

    I would have no problem getting the free tests that are widely available before travel though. If they could guarantee results within the required time frame which seems to be the problem at the moment.


  • #17
    NSAman
    Registered Users Posts: 3,386 ✭✭✭NSAman


    As someone who wants to come home and has not seen my family in year, since last Christmas .. I will be taking a test before coming home.

    Jump up and down all you want. I have lost three family members in a very close knit family this year. Not one of those funerals I could attend. Like many people, the phone and face time is all I have in these situations. It’s not the same.

    My own mother underwent major surgery four weeks ago, I couldn’t be there.

    I have spent months isolating at this stage. I don’t go to dinner. I don’t got socialising. I have had no one except my own family in the house and they too adhere to the same rules as I do.

    I will be travelling with herself, the kids are all going to ski this christmas. While they would love to see their grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins etc... they understand that it’s not in everyone’s best interests.

    We will spend a fortune when home. We shop for everyone while in Ireland. I don’t believe that the economy is most important at the moment. Family and health are!

    We will be staying away from everyone pre-travel for a week, then after arriving will isolate in one of the properties there.

    While I understand that I am luckier and in a position most people do not get... it’s easy to say shut the borders and don’t let them home. You cannot do that, I am an Irish citizen.

    Some of us returning “yanks” do have brains and probably take more precautions than many in Ireland.


  • #18
    bobbyy gee
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,306 ✭✭✭bobbyy gee


    don't kill Granny


    https://ie.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/


  • #19
    kowloonkev
    Registered Users Posts: 2,117 ✭✭✭kowloonkev


    Not sure why the focus is on Irish Americans? Don't Irish people come home for Christmas from everywhere?

    I was planning on going home this year for the first time in years but it's not feasible, with current quarantine rules, and even if those rules weren't in place I would feel irresponsible.


  • #20
    ILoveYourVibes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Same issue in my family. It doesn't look like my brother can come home. He's not in America.

    But he wouldn't be able to self isolate etc.

    There isn't a lot we can do except skype.


  • #21
    3xh
    Registered Users Posts: 594 ✭✭✭3xh


    kowloonkev wrote: »
    Not sure why the focus is on Irish Americans? Don't Irish people come home for Christmas from everywhere?

    I was planning on going home this year for the first time in years but it's not feasible, with current quarantine rules, and even if those rules weren't in place I would feel irresponsible.

    Your loss for feeling like that. And you’re misunderstanding the ‘quarantine rules’ too.


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