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

Not necessarily more restrictions . If hospitals are going to be overrun( the boards experts seem to think so come winter) the majority will be the unvaccinated. If that happens yes i do think antivaxxers should be restricted.

So how are you going to find out who is not vaccinated unless vax passports are still in use ?

What a clusterfuc# not putting antigen testing in place is beyond belief honestly. In total and utter limbo with no way out.

I can honestly say that for the last few months it has not interfered with my life either as regards pubs, restaurants or travel. Face masks I have no problem with for the the few areas left either. I doubt it will affect me, and where working from home was going to most likely increase, Covid has accelerated that. I was a fairly regular pub goer, never been much of a home drinker, but now after getting out of the habit not that pushed about pubs, and from the locals I frequent it seems iI`m not alone. in that. There is also ,in my area anyway, a lot more people out and about walking, cycling and jogging as well as swimming than there were previously. Be interesting to see if all that changes back to pre Covid but I have my doubts.

Funnily but you sound like jealous, that only over 60's might be allowed to work from home till it is safe. If you are not in that group, so what's your problem? I just filled "back to work form" and there is a link there to HSE site still stating that over 60's are high risk. So they should change it then before forcing people back to work, when it is still not safe for some.

I believe some good solutions like hybrid working will stay and will be new normal. I am not against good things brought forward from all this awful time.

I'm in the same boat and being perfectly honest I'm not worried about COVID at all. My own have both had a bad head cold since going back to school. There's a nasty cold doing the rounds this year and a lot of children are missing a lot of school time with it. Plus, the schools are extra vigilant and asking for proof of negative tests etc before allowing back in to school. That's all well and good but sooner or later they are going to have to stop dictating to parents what health care is provided to their children. If my child is sick, I'll keep them home. Not because of some altruistic need to keep everyone else safe but to ensure my own children get better as quickly as possible. If a teacher misses a day I don't demand that the school inform me of whatever illness she may have.

Not at all. I was lucky enough to have a very flexible working arrangement pre COVID and worked from home quite a bit.

I couldn't care less what the HSE say about it. It's either safe for everyone to go back or it's not, remember we are all in this together. The government have decided that it's good to go and they have been extremely conservative in their entire approach to COVID.

If the option of flexible working is available to all then I'm fully supportive. If it's just over 60's then they can get stuffed.

No and I ain't going looking either. The abundance of caution government have said going back to the office is fine. Take it up with them.

What has empathy got to do with anything?

Over 65's are all retired bar the odd fee scattered around. So what exactly are you looking for here?

That age group are already the most protected and we'll looked after in the history of the State. What more is it you want done for them?

It should be available to all in my opinion and I think in the next 5/10 we'll see a complete change in how we work. What should not be allowed happen is that certain groups get this privilege (and it is a privilege) because they feel they are more at risk.

Wait, what?

The older groups got their vaccines first so what's the issue exactly? The fact they had to wait for a second dose, which by the way many got before the majority of young people even had a sniff of a first vaccine.

And for clarity, COVID is a risk to the older age groups, not dangerous. There is a huge difference between those two statements.

There was no choice for any age group so I think you need to check the aul facts before coming out with stuff like that. It's also not the more "dangerous" vaccine. You've been listening to too many cranks like Luke O'Neill on RTE for your own good.

If your age group got this mythical"choice" that you feel so strongly you deserved then younger people would have been waiting even longer for any type of protection. How is that in any way fair? Or is it only a one way street for you?

Not evoking anything in me. Like I said, I've a very flexible working arrangement as it is. You seem to want it all despite the risk being extremely low in the first place.

If you don't want to go back to work then don't. It's your choice either way. But we either implement changes for everyone's benefit when it come to working arrangements or we don't.

Absolute codswallop. The older generation are the most privileged group to ever live in this country.

You were one of the first up for the vaccine but that wasn't enough, you wanted a choice of vaccine even though that would mean young people would have no protection for even longer while you got your nice two doses. Now you want the privilege of working from home for over 60's only. Despite being fully vaccinated, which greatly reduces your risk, you still feel as though it's dangerous. And then you lay on the "isn't one life saved worth it" schtick.

And I am talking about only few more months, not forever