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

The harsh reality is hospitality was already restricted by stealth, I spoke to some staff who'd already had hours cut, back on PUP etc, the sector was already limping along and even if no further restrictions were implemented, business closures were Gaurenteed come January and permanently.

Meanwhile Morning Ireland gave it 10 minutes, now they are covering a By Election result in the UK 🙄

It's trying to sneak in another lockdown is what it is. All because Holohan (who we know has a crusade against alcohol) is trying to shut down after work socialising in the week before Christmas.

I would suggest though that anyone who has had enough start mailing their TDs and the senior members of Government with their views this morning before the meeting happens.

What a stupid post.

Go a few weeks without it? They've been closed for over a year!

I get the impression that the nutters that actually applaude these measures and ask for more are people that are in no way affected by closures.

I bet if you kept going back to work, losing your job, going back to work, losing your job, signing on, signing off, signing on you'd be raging.

Covid has been a blessing for the anti social brigade, they get to hope that society never goes back to normal. And as if to think that a variant which is being proven to be less dangerous is going to piss off after the 9/01.

Was in the pub a couple weeks back, place was dead, nobody is going to them, these proposals will do nothing for tackling the spread of the virus. The virus will continue to do what virus's do.

Well there's a lot of unhappy people for no reason so haha

Don't forget FG and the Greens. Never, ever, voting for any of them ever again. A government of Independents would have some f'ing common sense at least.

Jaysus lads if the recommendations are accepted & nobody fights then as a nation are screwed. This all started when publicans agreed to the €9 meal, I understand they wanted to reopen and get cash but if they stuck together and said no the Gov could have backed down instead the Gov have them where they want & can keep bringing in stupid rules

January lockdown on the way it would seem, maybe even the same Christmas period announcement like last year.

Will we be left with inter County travel this time?

I'd say Tony Holohan would love to see the 2km restrictions from March 2020 back.

This is exactly who it is.

People who are still on full pay, have a mortgage or have it nearly paid off, saving on the commute or childcare, and who don't particularly like work colleagues and would work from home indefinitely, don't go out much anymore and whose friends are long settled and busy with their own families are not really bothered what happens in the pub (as its rare they set foot in one), or cinema (as they watch everything on Netflix).

Now, in all honesty, aside from the mortgage (and that I actually like most of my colleagues), I would fit all of those criteria except for one important difference - I can absolutely see the damage it's doing to those businesses and the people who own/are employed in them, to say nothing of the knock on effect to suppliers and society as a whole. I may not get out much anymore, but I like to have the choice and I appreciate how important it is.

More than that, I'm disgusted again by the lack of opposition (except among the general public and hospitality industry) to this "strategy" of bouncing in and out of varying degrees of restrictions because NPHET have been given too much weight, and Micheal Martin and Leo are either incapable of making a decision (in the case of the former), or obsessed with the affect it might have on his twitter account (in the case of the latter).

All this for something that has never been a real threat to the majority of the population here, and where the latest variant is even milder by all reports.

It's absolutely nonsense at this point. It's like living under the Church - don't believe in it, know it doesn't make sense and a lot of what goes on is wrong and immensely damaging, but still turn up every Sunday proclaiming the faith and attacking anyone different as a heretic.

We have spent so much time as a people being told what to do, that we can't function without it. We handed off Independence to the Church, then when they finally collapsed we handed it to the EU, and now to NPHET. We're the most servile people on the planet.

Great country we've created isn't it?

Ah now, that means a Libra, gay, married, farmer with a bit of a limp in their 50s could go to the pub almost all week. Hell, if they are trans, they might get all 7 days.

Don't be so ridiculous!

Okay let me rephrase, (its not literally no one going to them) the pubs aren't packed, there are very few customers going, there is limited if any spread associated with pubs, closing them makes no sense giving the restrictions they already have to work to.

Hospitatlity sector are reaping the benefit now of their utterly useless representation whose only concern was being paid off to shut down, instead of fighting back against this idiocy.

Yes true, there will be some busy spots, but the vast majority aren't. Unfortunately its the busy ones that cause 'concern' amongst nphet and attract social media attention.

Seriously?