Covid 19 Part XXXV-956,720 ROI (5,952 deaths) 452,946 NI (3,002 deaths) (08/01) Read OP

What is safe? You know its not "safe" to drive a car because someone could cross into your lane and end you

Its not "safe" to fly in a plane because it could crash or get shot down

Its not "safe" to eat takeaway because you could get food poisoning

Nothing in this world is truly "safe" or without risk. However we rational people acknowledge that yes there is risk, but its minimal and the benefits outweigh the risk. You as a vaccinated individual are at minimal risk from covid. Even unvaccinated you would probably be at minimal risk.* Vaccinated you are 90% lower than the unvaccinated risk too. So to say that it's not "safe" in bars and restaurants with strangers is genuinely deranged. You have no concept of risk if you believe that but still drive a car or eat takeaway or walk down the street.

*Unless you have a serious underlying condition, your unvaccinated risk from covid is minimal.

I think we'd all like to some flexibility in our approach. Unfortunately we have been following a strict regiment of lockdowns followed by very slow relaxing of restrictions. Right now, even with the incredible effort in the vaccination program, we are still stuck in a very slow releasing of restrictions with poor communication from the government. This leads to frustrations growing. Take MM recently proclamation of a new timeline to give clarity and confidence. Sounds great until you realise it's still 4 weeks away.

Why is this?

Why isn't that plan announced already?

What is the reasoning for delaying this much needed clarity?

And these are only recents examples of the terrible comms coming from Leinster House.

Whataboutery. The failings of other countries' governance does not excuse our own.

Also Spain are allowing 40% capacity in all stadiums - the blanket rule in Ireland is still 200 at events (including sports games). The gaa games are exceptions to this - all other sports events are capped at 200. So your link just proves how backward we really are.

Exactly right. MM seemed perplexed that people weren't "clear" on the path forward and as far as he was concerned the guidelines were clear. Yet, he felt the need to announce yet another roadmap off the Merrion Hotel debacle. Turns out the guidelines are not clear and people have no idea when we are getting out of these restrictions.

My own take is that have always had a plan in the background but realized people would find it so unpalatable that they decided the best course of action was to drip feed information instead.

I would be surprised if we see all restrictions lifted this year. They will leave children's indoor activities closed to the very last. Sure, they've given zero thought to children to date and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Social distancing isn't going anywhere either and concerts and large events won't be tolerated unless stupid SD measures can be maintained, even for fully vaxxed people or young children.

His new "roadmap" will provide details for the next round of easing with 6 week gaps between measures to ensure it'll be after Christmas before they are all gone.

I children don't have anyone lobbying for them like the Hotel Federation or the vintners so as you say it is easy to leave them to last. Archbishop McQuaid would be whooping with joy at the social distancing measures and the restrictions on night life. I would say this area is were the pressure will come next.

They must have dug out his memoirs for a lot of these current measures. No mingling, must stay seated, cover your face when walking through an establishment, government pass to allow you in. He'd be creaming himself if he knew these were this was the "new normal" embraced and encouraged by a large majority of the country.

I am certainly not an apologist for NPHET but those optimistic scenario projections were on the basis of indoor hospitality reopening on early July.

What we now know is that delaying by those 3 weeks or so and the intensive rate of vaccinations in that period has put us in far better stead.

Hopefully as we get even more vaccinated and we can review what happens in the UK there can be a more intensive reopening in the next 4 - 6 weeks.

Yep and because of them the Government panicked and held back a few restrictions

Starting to become very tried and annoyed with these esp with so many of the adult population fully vaccinated

So we can't go back to normal because of a scary variant out there still to be discovered but is coming ?

Our health system is a shambles and lockdown is only way around it to protect from been overwhelmed ?

Hospital cases still nudging up but fairly slowly.

They generally don't drop after a weekend til the Monday evening or even Tuesday. The Monday am numbers are generally some of the highest each week

Exactly right, they could do any of those measures or just apply some basic human decency. They hide behind "guidelines" and "regulations" and "procedures" when it suits them. The truth be known the just lack any sort of humanity to actually enforce this. It's barbaric, cruel, and should never ever be forgiven for it.