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

It also allows weak politicians (like our lot) to hide behind decisions elsewhere when it suits them - we saw it with the bailout and we continue to see it today.

You've hit on the reason why the EU will never work as a unified State. There IS no shared history, values, culture etc to draw on (like in the US for example). Remember only 60 years ago they were at war with each other, then the Cold War tensions after that with East and West Europe. What it is now is a bloated bureaucracy that the majority of people feel no connection with, and no authority over.

It worked as a trade body - the EEC - but once the politicians got notions of a Superstate the wheels started to come off!

Myself and others have been saying that for a while now. I do like the recent positive uptake from experts. Every day it is getting harder for officials to maintain restrictions. There is now a broad spectrum of support for most of the current restrictions to be lifted from the beginning of february. That will just increase. I was already feeling it tilted a week or 10 days ago.

The irony is that Omicron seems to be as transmissible as the Measles. If this had happened in the beginning we would have had the same kind of restrictions now. If you dont want to catch it stay home. if i was in a high risk group and unvaccinated i wouldnt leave my frontdoor atm. Your chance of contracting Omicron is huge.Vaccines have helped a lot. Boosters mainly helpful for vulnerable people.The unvaccinated should be free of restrictions and the Covid pass should be scrapped, starting domestically. My wife thinks she contracted Covid in January 2020 while on a seminar in India and came back with most Covid symptoms that lasted for a month. She has been reluctant to get vaccinated. She cant get into a coffeeshop or restaurant. Why owners still checking the cert beats me. They should just stop doing that.

Your not going to hear that talk.

Masks and certs will probably be the last to go and they probably aren't going in February.

Whatever your opinion on them government have always seen those 2 as a light touch restriction

It's light touch in that it's a seen to be doing something that really requires no effort from government.

Not saying I agree with it, there's little need for them now, they should probably go domestically but we know they won't yet.

Masks and certs rules will lose their significance once people start not following them. It is happening already and will continue especially with the current trajectory. Omicron the tipping point. No way to police them.

Personally from being out and about I'm not seeing less people using masks, maybe other areas are different but from being around dublin and the suburbs I can't say I've seen less people using them.

Certs is hit and miss, has been from day 1.

Said the same yesterday the masks are prevailing as strong as ever. I personally hate them they are uncomfortable unsightly and I’m not even sure if they are useful especially as they are probably being used incorrectly by most of us. I would love the see them become Optional but I just think we’re a long way away from that.

Whatever it being a waffly non answer, I caught a bit of it driving home and the interview was a complete car crash

Just saw the news on Israel where up to 40% of population is likely to be infected with Omicron. That is in a country with exceptionally high vaccination rates and 4 booster programme well under way.

will this herd ever stop running and stop and think for a moment? We are talking about a sore throat that kills 2 out of population of 100,000 people. Are people really this brainless? I can’t believe it tbh.

Remember,we already know that Minister Donnelly is VERY keen (on the recommendations from his Senior Civil Servants) to have sections of the EMERGENCY Provisions of the 1947 Health Acts made an integral part of the General Legislation.

The senior Civil Servants,apparently feel this will make it easier for "Us" to deal with future Emergency Situations without having to go to all the bother of convening Dáil Éireann etc.

These guys,and I include mambers of NPHET here,are making a power-grab here,which if allowed will effectively sideline politicians and inter-alia,US,the general populace.

This is VERY dangerous stuff and underlines why we need an effective 4th estate media to watch over those who now find they quite like the Powers granted to them by Sec31A of the Health Act 1947.

The Pandemic,for what it was, ended in mid 2020,all else has been Social & Political experimentation......just wait and see what transpires in the next 3 months.

Do you have a link to the Drosten interview ? Most of the coverage appears to be as doomy n gloomy as our own ?

Most of the coverage is nearly as doomy yes but I have the link. The Tagesspiegel is usually at the fore-front of the doom merchants but its an interview with them. https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/christian-drosten-im-interview-omikron-ist-eine-chance/27978808.html

I dont think we can and will pursue with more complicated regulations. Once the hospital situation is deemed grand I'd say we'll open up with little if any terms and conditions. And you would have to too.