Relaxation of Restrictions, Part IX *Read OP For Mod Warnings*

It appears they fukced up the plan on elite sport.
The new plan states no sport in level 5, this was raised by one of the journalists at the briefing and Martin indicated elite sport continues. It looks like the plan needs to be written.

What a shower of muppets.

An Ri rua wrote: »

80-120k deaths with lockdowns? Wow. Pray tell, what figure did they give if we adopted a Do nothing approach? 80-120k as well? Or maybe 7m Irish dead? Please compare like with like if you're going to go all quasi intellectual and grind your gears there...

Even if the figures referred to a do-nothing approach, it is now clear (if it ever wasn’t) that a figure of 80,000-120,000 was massively overcooked — and if one was to perhaps go a step further — perhaps simply designed to shock. But McConkey’s figures as an expert a year ago seemed to overlook the fact that a “do nothing” approach does not invariably mean that people themselves do nothing. If people know there is a virus out there that can kill them — and of course if Covid was going to be killing at the scale predicted then people would have to have taken it seriously — they will act in a way that lowers their risk of getting it. They will also act in a way that lowers the risk of loved ones getting it, because ultimately there aren’t too many out there who want to be responsible for killing a loved one.

Uppsala University in Sweden made a similar miscalculation when they predicted 100,000 dead in that country by July 2020. Link here. In the end, Sweden didn’t even have 100,000 people dead by the end of the year from all causes of death. So again, the obvious extrapolation there is that if Sweden, with twice our population and without going into lockdown for the most part, had 96,000 deaths from all causes in 2020 — it’s fairly clear that a figure of 80-120,000 dead in Ireland from the Covid pandemic alone was wildly overzealous and (depending on the methodology) potentially a bit irresponsible.

People who questioned these numbers got beaten down by the usual “You aren’t a doctor / expert and they are” responses. But whether the people questioning the numbers were experts or not, and whether they based their argument on sound reasoning or completely plucked from their arse, were they right nor wrong to say the figures were a wild overestimation?

Are the actual UK not worried about its own Variant that is destroying lives here ?

People will become paranoid because they dont know whats good or bad about the numbers etc. We will see 'leaks in interviews' mid March about how what were doing is not working and level 5 will be extended once again

PTH2009 wrote: »

Are the actual UK not worried about its own Variant that is destroying lives here ?

People will become paranoid because they dont know whats good or bad about the numbers etc. We will see 'leaks in interviews' mid March about how what were doing is not working and level 5 will be extended once again

Yes, that's why one of the criteria for easing restrictions in boris's roadmap is the effect of new variants. It's written in bold at the top and all.

We'll be led at every stage by data not dates and we will apply four tests - the pace of the vaccination programme, the effectiveness of the vaccines, the pressure on the NHS and the risks of any new variants of Covid."

We have to think of Europe and our friends across the EU, we can only help them to save themselves from this brand new virus

I can only think and despair, I mean imagine what’s being broadcast into the living rooms of our fellow eu citizens across the continent, the harrowing scenes from our hospitals beamed into the homes of our eu friends.

We can only hope those harrowing scenes help them to prepare, to get themselves ready.

We are all in this together, anyone for a bit of Jerusalema to get us through these darkest of days!

Deleted User wrote: »

Micheal Martin is possibly the worst Taoiseach since Brian Cowen.

Common denominator = Fianna Fail.

This will be their third time wrecking the economy...in 40 years...that is some achievement....they weren't even in power for over 10 of those years!!!

They are f##ked this time, the communities they are strong in will be decimated by their actions.

Multipass wrote: »

For all the talk of protecting the vulnerable, who is protecting the mentally vulnerable from the scaremongering lies and exaggerations of our own government. Some people will be frightened, believing that there is a scary whole new virus stalking us. He could push people over the edge, it’s completely irresponsible.
I hope to god no children were watching.

Totally agree, all the hype about protecting the vulnerable BS.
Little mentioned about the hundreds of thousands of cancer screenings (truly vulnerable and scared people) postpone for a year now, in many cases cancelled.

Fear the death toll from this farce will be many magnitudes higher from genuine illnesses going undiagnosed and treated.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 wrote: »

A year ago I almost got banned on here for saying it's going to last for years. Give these muppets any power and they'll never give it back. If anyone still believes this is about a virus they haven't been paying attention.

What do you believe it's about then?

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

The government knows the country can not open up with cases anywhere near triple figures per day.

To keep a lid on a new surge like occurred at Christmas for any meangingful length of time cases would have to be really low, low double digits at the most.

Otherwise the same scenario occurs only this time, what some posters ignore or are simply not in tune of, is that the next lockdown in that scenario will see out the year.

That's why under no circumstances is the govt going to just throw away progress.

We need to get over harsh lockdowns which is what the strategy is everywhere by reducing transmission and in to the longer term changes required for society to live alongside the disease in the coming years also with regular vaccinations. The "new normal" so to speak as much as I detest the term.

Progress,IMO would have been to use the past 12 months to bring our Health Service up to European norms in terms of ICU facilities and staffing.

From what I can discern,we have made little if any inroads into recruiting and/or training NEW staff for ICU's,which no matter what happens,WILL definitely be required as the population of the State continues to increase.

With c.11,000 Hospital Beds available in the Public System,of which c.2100 were occupied by Covid patients at the worst of the outbreak,down to 693 today,we now have a far better understanding of where our Health Service stands in relation to being prepared.

All we are seeing now,is the use of blunt tools,of questionable efficacy by a Government who appear totally in thrall to NPHET to the exclusion of all else.

This entire thing has long gone past a Public Health issue,and now seems to focus on Controlling for it's own sake.

However,if you see this as "progress" then work away....;)

retro:electro wrote: »

So England are up an at it, the country is alive with optimism and energy and people are planning to live again. Meanwhile over here we are now battling COVID-19 part 2, this time it’s a variant

Covid 2: Electric Boogaloo

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 wrote: »

It's something like 800000 on waiting lists.

I mean... Wow.

Keep locking us down and watch them lists grow. And somehow it'll be the publics fault.

How are they ever going to clear that backlog? It will take years, by which time many of that 800,000 will have needlessly died. More than ever died of covid, that's for sure.

Penfailed wrote: »

Any restrictions at all? Nightclubs? Gigs?

Perhaps not......?

Today's stats...

Total Tests Completed
3,451,532
Total Positive Tests
222,670
Total Positive Rate (%)
6.5

So,the negativity rate is 93.5%...or perhaps these folk are "Asymptomatic"....?

This is all becoming Pythonesque.....

Fergal Bowers just now on RTE talking about next Autumn and Winter and potential measures being taken with double pressure on the health system. Honestly we are doomed