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

They won't encourage what they will do is remove their freedoms from them and exclude them. They will be treated worse that criminals.

That's worrying (to me)

According to our DPC, it's not even legal for them to ask atm, so unless laws change, that policy will be just for the US or anywhere else with feck all worker or data privacy protections.

Given that Irelands super duper predictions of a hurricane of infection and hospitalisations were completely wrong (again), and that there is a much larger case study in the UK indicating the same, why are the restrictions and silly lockstep vax freedom passes not being completely reversed?

Its having a devastating effect on the mental health of a certain cohort of big government / nanny state type people, they are quite literally losing their minds suggesting that people be denied hospital access and the rights to employment. The costs of getting these people back to a normal level of human decency will be extensive.

Did anyone think that Tony’s body language when announcing that in the coming week(s) they’d be looking at lessening social & economic restrictions, to me he seemed a bit disappointed & miserable about it

Good old GDPR is the first line of defence against this along with anti-discrimination laws but employers will be expected to address health & safety issues.

That's interesting re employment. So as it stands, Facebook and other companies can't demand employees here to the take a covid 19 vaccine

Back to consent/ coersion, at the moment non covid 19 vaccinated people can't find indoors. If (which I guessing will happen) further restrictions are imposed on non vaccinated eg essential services like public transport or children attending school, when does the government cross the line regarding consent/ coersion?

The first paragraph being true wouldn't surprise me in the slightest

TBH with our rates of vaccinations we shouldn't need to coerce people. The current cert regime is aimed at keeping Delta under control, unlike the more restrictive French approach.

In terms of those who ‘just don’t want to take it’, they’re less than 5% of the population. You can find less than 5% of the population who think crazy things on all manner of topics. They don’t matter, so we generally ignore them and move on as a society.

As for the second point, sure - not everyone taking a vaccine supports restrictions. But it is abundantly clear that the vast majority of people have supported restrictions throughout the pandemic. Opposition to restrictions has consistently been a minority position, with only a handful of political supporters and poorly attended civic protest.

Most people have complied with most restrictions most of the time. The revolution did not occur. And then 90%+ of the adult population volunteered for the vaccine. That is the outcome as far as this thread is concerned. ‘A tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’

Why did you have to throw in the insult at the end of your post? Why they need?

As for most people complying with the restrictions, there was no choice in the matter with Garda checkpoints and €500 euro fines on anyone found not complying with the restrictions. So I wouldn't be getting up on my high horse to crow about that also most people found ways around the restrictions and just carried on doing what they were doing. As for the vaccine I would say most people are getting just so that we can get back to a normal life. Do you think if there were no restrictions and no threats of excluding anyone not vaccinated that vaccine take up would be so high?

Agreed. I have been anti the restrictions for some time and I believe within the next month we go down the UK route and without vaccine passports. People should have the choice re the vaccine. I was never worried about getting covid, just aware of the importance in wider society of as many people as possible taking it.

We should be opening up and this vaccine passport for dining indoors should be done away with right away, let people make their own choices on whether to eat indoors or not. Also if you are vaccinated what do you have to worry about it is the unvaccinated person that is carrying more of the risk.

I have a suspicion that when it comes to further easings a la Tony Holohan, there will be concessions alright, but with increased pass-showing caveats, that will defeat the idea of moving forward and living with this virus.

And I wouldn’t be so sure that legislation couldn’t be speedily passed in Ireland to allow for mandated vaccination if it looks like we will fall short of 90% after it being offered to every adult and child (mandated in some areas to begin with, followed by a creep to others - and of course it wouldn’t be government mandating it, just providing a legal framework for companies to enforce it, nice and hands-off).

Fully understand the idea of herd immunity but can’t understand the pressure and rush, unless there are serious concerns about immunity post-vaccination plummeting, putting elderly and vulnerable in danger once more in the coming months. At least that would be a logical reason for some to be losing the plot over a small number of people who choose to not get vaccinated, and a rational reason for nonsense restrictions at this stage.

Again I don’t know how you can assume that the vast majority supported and obeyed restrictions. That’s not my experience, and its not what I witnessed around me. And as far as the protests go many people (myself included) didn’t want to be associated with the extreme voices. That doesn’t mean support for the ‘other’ side.