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

Well it's very much a personal path out of it for people and a lot to process. That's not going to happen in two weeks and may take an awful lot longer for some. In the meantime leave them to their issues as they readjust.

An article on ITs that FBD are to may out millions ref business interruptions due to restrictions.. I am trying to make sense of this, if anyone can explain.. So insurance has to pay when pubs were being subsidized? Will this not increase insurance costs for all business now and crippling the smaller businesses..?

I dont see how FBD have to pay millions? 🤔

This is now the sad state some people will have, we have all being battered the last 2 years with Covid Ads, Daily Figures, Media were only short of reporting you would die if you stepped outside and seen another human. The mental health of this country was never looked after and many will need that support soon I think

They got rid of them in my one to and the stupid traffic lights thing but to fair they rarely used it.

Those stickers were mainly for social distancing which is no longer a requirement. My local Tesco did the same but the signs about wearing masks are still up as they are required, sign of the times changing

I'm as against restrictions as anyone but to be honest every winter the HSE should really run quite intensive "if you're sick, stay at home, don't go to work/socialise" campaigns like that commercial but with a slightly better framing. It would really help limit the spread of all infectious diseases, not just covid.

Pre-covid it was far too socially acceptable in Ireland to be on the bus, in a pub, in the office or elsewhere and have people around you coughing and sneezing away very obviously sick but "powering through".

It's just not feasible to have people out of work every time they get a cold. They last 1-2 weeks. Parents of young children would barely be in work at all when their children start school. Fine if they want to make recommendations about diet, vitamins, hand washing and not coughing directly in people's faces, but we also understand very little about pathogens, immunity and the human body, in the grand scheme of things.

It's been less than a decade since scientists discovered that the immune response caused by exposure to pathogens in childhood may cause beneficial epigenetic changes in the body that prevent or ameliorate some inflammatory diseases, so it's worth investigating whether we'd be doing more harm than good for the sake of a few days of discomfort before we sterilise the world.

DUDE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FIVE SECONDS OMG

The vast majority of white collar employers offer sick pay, I've never worked in a job that didn't have it. Employees just regularly choose not to use it to try to earn brownie points, or because managers pressure them not to.

Thats obviously not every field of work, but normalizing the shaming of sick people coming to the work place starting in white collar roles would eventually filter downwards. Approx 40% of the working population are ABC1 social class (ie white collar workers), so even having it just for these people in the meantime would also make a big impact on the spread of sickness every winter.

What on earth sort of cold are you getting that lasts 2 weeks? Anyone whos not immunocompromised is usually only symptomatic and infectious for a few days. Most people also only catch them a couple times a year at worst. Its perfectly feasible for them to take a few days off sick each time.

"but we also understand very little about pathogens, immunity and the human body," -- this is absolute nonsense. We know very well how infectious diseases spread from person to person. We know the number one way to prevent this from happening, by an absolute mile, is by having sick people isolate at home when they're most infectious (ie symptomatic).

It really shouldn't be a remotely controversial stance to say "if you're noticeably sick you shouldn't be in work, for your own sake and those around you. Just stay at home for a few days". Nobody - the individual who suffers working while sick, the people around them who get infected, the health services who get overloaded, or the tax payer who pays for the health services - wins in a society where going to work sick is normal.

Sad thing is the "Science" has long ago been clear as to formite spread,ie: surface touching.

It was ALWAYS low-risk...ALWAYS.

However it kept a new line in business for the scary disinfectionists and elbow rubbers to promote.

I agree with previous posters, one remnant of COVID restrictions I'd like to stay when this blows over, is not coming in to work when you are clearly sick and infectious (provided they get sick pay).

I remember a former boss boasting to a load of us that he had never in his career taken a sick day. How once he was so sick with the flu he had to physically drag himself up the stairs to his desk. I asked him how many people he infected with that nasty bug, and how many person days were probably lost due to his "bravery". It didn't go down well.

I love the delicious irony of this

:)

Think he sold his rights to a hedgefund or something similiar a while back ;)