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

NPHET will be very much in our lives going forward

You are really going to enjoy January 2022

Was speaking to a colleague today who made a very valid point.

Why, 18 months into this, are we the public still being morally and socially manipulated by the government into believing we are responsible for alleviating hospital capacity issues and the historical HSE mismanagement issues?

Before the pandemic we were all obviously concerned about over crowding, patients on trolleys, and long waiting lists. But we never felt personally or societally responsible for managing this issue, and rightly so.

We pay tax and the HSE and government are responsible for ensuring there are enough resources to go around. That’s how it works and how it should be.

Now in an emergency and unprecedented situation like March 2020 or similar, restricting freedoms was acceptable as a short term measure.

But why, almost two years on, are we STILL being guilted into believing we have some sort of moral obligation to continuously make personal sacrifices to manage this issue?

We are not to blame for this. It might sound cold and blunt, but how has the onus for this been placed entirely on Joe Publics shoulders? Where’s the accountability from the government? Particularly when you consider that they had the guts of two years to prepare and plan for this.

If one of my loved ones required an ICU bed tomorrow and couldn’t access one, I wouldn’t be blaming the unvaccinated, or people going on holidays, or people going to nightclubs or what have you.

I would be blaming the government and HSE for their complete ineptitude at running a functional health system - just as I would have if this happened before the pandemic, when the exact same problems also existed. Yet we never blamed ourselves then.

I accept things are worse now, but even when the pandemic is completely behind us we are still going to be in a dire situation with waiting lists and elective surgeries from all the backlogs from the lockdowns.

We need to start ramping up resources for that now too, but once again we’re asleep at the wheel. This country infuriates me.

Ireland has half the ICU capacity per capita of the EU average, despite us being one of the richest EU states. Ireland has ONE QUARTER of Germany's ICU capacity per capita. We've known since March 2020 that the biggest issue facing the country is hospital capacity. The whole reason for lockdowns was to prevent the hospitals becoming overcapacity - flatten the curve etc.

So you might assume given the above we'd be throwing euros at the problem, right? Given how many billions lockdowns cost, and how damaging they are to society?

Wrong. In the budget two weeks ago: "The minister said €10.5m has been provided for 19 additional critical care beds in 2022, bringing the total ICU beds next year to 340". Thats not a typo unfortunately. We're planning on adding 1.5 beds a month...

This government is doing everything it can to blame the 5%~ of adults not vaccinated for the crisis right now fast approaching us. But even if we had 99% vaccinated we'd still be facing the same crisis, just two or three weeks later - enough fully vaccinated people are still landing in the hospitals.

Its pretty clear the government initially banked on lockdowns beating covid. And then banked on vaccinations beating covid. So never properly invested in the hospitals when they had the chance. Which has resulted in us now facing another disastrous winter.

It just boggles my mind why no journalists are holding them to account over this. Its one of the biggest failings of an Irish government ever, and nobody in the press has dared to mention it yet.

As are we. There's a further easing of restrictions being announced shortly.

I 'leave' the country every day. It's about the same in the north. Our nightclubs will be open before theirs.

Our man with the red face won't like that.

It really does need clarification, I personally know two people still fighting insurance companies (one in hospitality)

There's this perception Failte Ireland has statutory authority, it does not, its remit primarily encompasses, Tourism promotion, Training and overseeing standards for businesses registered with it, mainly hotels, B&B"s, indeed few if any pubs nightclubs or restaurants would have been Failte Ireland registered before the pandemic, the only reason they might be now, is only to do with the fact it was a requirement if any business wanted to apply for Government pandemic grant supports.

Michael Mc Namara (who I can't abide) on Morning Ireland expressing serious concerns about the legal standing , basis for new guidelines , apparently he raised this in the Dail yesterday, this coming from a TD who was very, very anti NPHET and lockdowns .

I used to think the same, but tbh, I think there are very few people who genuinely want lockdown.

What we have, and its particularly prevalent on here, is cheerleaders for everything the government say. No matter the line is they tow it, they fall over themselves trying to back it until it changes and then claim that this was always the plan and now will defend the new line. They will jump on and ridicule any poster that is suspicious of government policy. Its all almost as predictable as the politicians false promises.

Well she did have cancer herself so not an unsurprising question.

Yes fair point, I personally don't believe or am aware RTE staff have ever vilified the unvaccinated, but fair to say they've certainly entertained a lot of guests who have, Claire Byrne a perfect example.

I know someone who has worked with Claire Byrne and describes her as an excellent professional but has avoided any of her broadcasts of any shape or size since this began. I always thought she had talent but find this relentless unhealthy obsession with COVID anything but professional. I might even call it deranged myself.

I quite like the fact that the sort of people "who would take their business elsewhere" will not be in my local. Well rid.

anecdotes = experience

Experience can tell us things we can't ascertain from looking at statistical charts.

When I got back to Ireland recently I rang my sister and she was ranting about vaccines on the phone which I thought was strange.

Now I understand having been back a while, the mental atmosphere in Ireland is 24/7 covid-world vaccine-land. Very bad for the mind.

Can't wait to get away again. I've taken 3 holiday breaks this year, booked one more and thinking of planning a fifth.

RTE, Irish Times, Newstalk, public discourse has become a rabbit hole of fear, resentment, anger, despair, - better to ignore politics altogether.

Btw to the poster a few pages upthread saying the unvaccinated should lose access to employment, hospital care, and government financial assistance - that is basically Tier D (the lowest tier) of the Chinese social credit system.

Surprisingly relatively large number of supporters of fascism and Communism knocking about on boards though they usually aren't honest enough to admit that's what they are.