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

True but a lot of people are mentally and emotionally drained. The approach since MM took over has been akin to Chinese water torture. 10 months of an "abundance of caution" only to have a freedom day we weren't allowed call freedom day, which we then weren't given anyway followed by the reintroduction of restrictions not even 8 weeks later.

Every "rule" is backed up by threats and fines because there's always an assumption we are too bold and stupid to follow advice. And none of the restrictions are ever lifted when they say - which we find out about via "leaks" consistently 2 weeks in advance.

Then on top of that we start getting texts saying there's a storm but your kid can go to school tomorrow, no wait they cant..no they can but not until Wednesday...no actually not Wednesday either.

Many areas were not impacted but local principals weren't allowed use their judgement. More blanket rule nonsense and poor communication. Mentally a lot of people have lost the ability to cope with this crap.

512 people in hospital, down 18 on yesterday.

Well shutting things down has been their only tactic so far so why stop now I suppose!

Edit: misread the quote as "shut it down"

I don't think you'll find an easy answer to that, because people being mostly considerate and reasonable, in the absence of restrictions people will still "give a hoot", which is partly why we get waves of infection rather than simple logistic growth to 100% infection.

I think people need to accept it’s winter. There is going to be a big outbreak of Covid, vaccination over the summer and now boosters for elderly and vulnerable were supposed to be the way forward for the people of Ireland to get on with their lives, hospitals have coped ok so far with recent outbreaks. I think if there’s a bigger outbreak after Christmas, the Government and NPHET will completely overdo their response despite vaccination & booster, the balance needs to be gotten right.

The great ‘unknown’ with Onnicron seems to be fading, it’s not causing a lot of fatalities and hospitals in South Africa are ok to date.

Why are we getting push notifications re ‘One case / two cases of Omicron found in Ireland’. This is followed by Dr Tony tweeting, and then a press release from Government re 5 days of antigen testing for U.K. arrivals.

What is the end goal? Fear fear fear.

Random Virgin media journalist on Twitter **** Breaking - 2 cases of Omicron found in Sallins ***

Absolute desperation from them.

They are lost without direct contact with NPHET

I was watching One flew over the cuckoo's nest the other night and I was shocked by how similar Nurse Ratched is to the bureaucratic technocrats that have taken hold of our lives over the past 18 months. Like McMurphy, we might get hurt or die by facing the risk prevalent in daily life but ultimately our lived experience will be much richer! Never ever ever underestimate what power can do to some people. Not all villains come twirling their oversized moustaches.

Logical isn't it. Either that or just roll the red carpet out and do nothing.

Its noticeable how quite this forum has gotten since the kick back last friday in regards to NPHET members being a little bit curtailed in their extra curricular media engagements.

Not only that but in general there seems to be less in your face COVID hysteria since with it making a nice change not to have the merry go round of NPHET experts following one another from studio to studio on their celebrity tour and trying to outdo one another in terms of how many interviews they can do in a week!!

And guess what, the world hasnt fallen in, COVID hasnt gone away but the people are still doing what was expected of them, isnt it a shock that the people didnt need it rammed down their throats all the time to still do the right thing?