Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII Read OP For Mod Warnings

Croohur1 · 05-02-2022 02:52PM

I think masks should no longer be mandated anywhere except perhaps on public transport. IMO we have moved past that stage of this pandemic. I dont want to wear a mask, but I do believe they work based on the science I have read on their efficacy. The people who dont believe that masks work, DESPITE the science are those I would consider in the anti-masker, anti-vaxxer camp.

_Kaiser_ · 05-02-2022 05:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118584869#Comment_118584869

I'm triple vaccinated and can't stand masks and see little to no value in them (unless talking about "proper" medical grade ones) - certainly not the cheap or designer ones the overwhelming majority are (badly!) using

Square that circle! It might be nice to just throw out catchy Twitter labels (I wish that stupid site had never been created tbh!) but in the real world it means nothing.

Richard Hillman · 05-02-2022 11:08PM

I worked in retail for periods during the last 2 years. It was torture having the mask on for 8 hours and most of the lunch break. Plus another couple of hours commuting on the bus. 10-11 hours a day, 5 days a week wearing a mask. I look forward to their downfall.

Also, people have been giving out about folks not wearing their masks correctly over the last couple of years. Has it not occured that they don't actually want to wear masks and just do it because it's mandated?

anplaya27 · 06-02-2022 12:11AM

Believe me you I've probably had it harder than most of the country re the mask mandate whether in professional or personal life regarding this as I'm profoundly deaf ( ISL user). But sure it's just another obstacle to overcome. I completely understand the necessity for it.

deholleboom · 06-02-2022 09:31AM

That discussion about masks is getting tedious as masks are soon going to be redundant. Less and less people wearing them so a natural process of eventual illimination.

More importantly are the restrictions imposed by countries on an EU level in the form of DCCs with a mandatory booster. I wonder how long they are going to stay given Omicron. And if you will still be able to fly unboostered with a test when we get to summer. Will the DCC be abolished or pauzed?

kirk. · 06-02-2022 10:36AM

What this thread needs is a new variant of concern

I keep refreshing the page and there's hardly any new posts

_Kaiser_ · 06-02-2022 11:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589545#Comment_118589545

It has gone noticeably quieter alright and the discussion shifted to masks as it's the most visible remaining restriction still impacting everyone.

Has the legal requirement been updated, or is it still to lapse next week does anyone know?

Personally I think it's great that this thread has gone quieter as attention moves (per the Indo this morning) to far more important matters like the spiraling cost of living and the ridiculous Golfgate decision (another "do as we say, not as we do" scenario - but interesting to contrast to the UK where Boris is just barely hanging on and lots of others have already resigned).

If we can get rid of the mandatory mask requirement (which are largely ineffective anyway as we've seen despite almost 100% compliance) then we can finally say that Covid is (hopefully) largely behind us.

ShadowTech · 06-02-2022 11:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589389#Comment_118589389

It seems like everyone on these threads keeps saying that fewer and fewer people are wearing masks but I don’t see that at all. I’m in town in Dublin a few times a week and it’s the same as before. People are still walking into restaurants and pubs with them and there is almost no one walking around without one in a shop. At least a quarter of everyone on the likes of Grafton Street is wearing one outside! I even got told to put one on when I was waiting in the queue in a coffee shop which, as I understand it, is no longer a requirement in hospitality settings.

I really hope masks go soon but in my experience the narrative that compliance is waning is not accurate.

_Kaiser_ · 06-02-2022 11:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589657#Comment_118589657

I'd agree with this. It's still almost universal in shops and I think the confusion around things like "is a coffee shop retail or hospitality" has people erring on the side of caution, or maybe it's just become institutionalised.

When the legal requirement drops, I really hope we'll get back to real normality quickly but there will certainly be a noticeable percentage who'll keep wearing them (which is fine BTW)

DLink · 06-02-2022 12:16PM

I know lots of people who were upset at the rules being eased as fast as they were, but King Tony and the other clowns have instilled so much fear that people are afraid to let go.

Unless self isolation restrictions are lifted at the same time that masks are done away with, I can see workplaces continuing to enforce masks & social distancing to minimise absenteeism, especially as it's so hard to find staff when you're paying minimum wage.

I can also see shops trying to enforce masks in other to placate the covid worriers and maximise business, I guess they know we all still have a mask in our pocket, or are used to wearing them after so long, so what's the harm in making us wear one for a coffee?

The fear, panic and irrational behaviour is too deep set to be done away with quickly, especially with regards to mask wearing and the magical protection they offer.

ultrapercy · 06-02-2022 12:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586317#Comment_118586317

There is no science to support the effectiveness of masks. There would be some scientific merit in surgical grade masks but very few wear those. The other masks do absolutely nothing to prevent transmission as backed up by roughly half the population becoming infected during Dec and Jan. Masks were just merchandising for a massive marketing project for big pharma.

Richard Hillman · 06-02-2022 12:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589389#Comment_118589389

A lot of EU countries are trying to double down on their vaccine mandates. Austria still went through with their mandatory vaccination policy this weekend, with fines for non vaccinated. The Budget Napoleon in France is not giving up on mandatory vaccines either. They are completely refusing to budge on restrictions and mandates.

The Nordic countries seem to be dropping everything and going back to normal. Spain seem to be calming down too.

When July-August hit for the tourist season, you'll need a booster from March onwards to have any sort of holiday in France.

It is nuts. They are just not letting go. Refusing to admit that its over.

Pretty wierd considering even we dropped everything.

User1998 · 06-02-2022 01:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585686#Comment_118585686

Why do you care if customers wear masks or not? I worked in a multi national supermarket and the policy was not to force customers to wear masks and don’t do/say anything that would affect sales. We never had any arguments or abuse from customers and 95% of them wore a mask.

If a customer approached us complaining that someone wasn’t wearing a mask, we simply told them that its not up to us to enforce the law its up to the Gardai, and that was company policy

I disagree with you that the reason shop workers don’t say anything is because of the abuse they get. The reason none of us said anything was because we didn’t care and we don’t get paid enough to be telling customers what to do.

Although the abuse is unacceptable, if you just mind your own business there would be no confrontations or abuse.

AlekSmart · 06-02-2022 03:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590008#Comment_118590008

Very well said.

Given that Ireland,and many other European countries remain under extensive "Emergency" regulations,all based upon the danger of Covid being an immediate mass-fatality event and these regulations give a relevant Minister VERY significant powers well outside of the normal run of things.

The business of "promoting compliance" with these regulations falls to a specific group....

Shop owners, managers of premises, or any person in charge of the shop (or other listed premises) are responsible for promoting compliance and informing people that they must wear a face covering in their premises. This is set out in 296 of 2020 (pdf).

Similarly,on public transport,Bus/Coach Drivers swiftly realized that once the passenger walked past the Cab,their compliance became a personal issue.

https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/news-media/sample-fcn-offence-wording-re-si-560-003-.pdf

Equally swiftly,seeking Garda involvement made one aware of the Gardai's list of priorities,of which mask wearing was close to the bottom.

Given that,in realistic terms the reasoning for "Emergency" Health Legislation has long since passed,I believe that the relevant Ministers should be strongly challenged on the 9th Feb when the legislation comes up for renewal.

https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/act/1/enacted/en/html

An Act, to make exceptional provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19 and in order to mitigate, where practicable, the effect of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19

It is of interest to me that the original wording of Sec 31 (A) 1947 Heath Act has been altered somewhat for the subsequent 2020 legislative piece.

https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/1947/act/28/section/31A/revised/en/html

31A. (1) The Minister may, having regard to the immediate, exceptional and manifest risk posed to human life and public health by the spread of Covid-19 and to the matters specified in subsection (2), make regulations for the purpose of preventing, limiting, minimising or slowing the spread of Covid-19

The loss of the word "Immediate",to my thinking,should have resulted in the ending of the Emergency aspect of the 1947 Health Acts and instead reverting to the long accepted and practiced ordinary legislation,which has plenty of provisions specifically dealing with Infectious Diseases.

Whilst not suggesting we salvishly follow other juristictions,it is high time we paid a bit of attention to what's happening in the Nordic states..(Russia permitting ! ) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/world/europe/sweden-announces-end-covid-restrictions.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/01/europe/denmark-lifts-covid-restrictions-intl/index.html

This bit struck me as uniquely un-Irish...

"No one can know what will happen next December. But we promised the citizens of Denmark that we will only have restrictions if they are truly necessary and we'll lift them as soon as we can," Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told CNN on Monday. "That's what's happening right now."

The term "Hell will Freeze Over" springs to mind.....😃

Croohur1 · 06-02-2022 03:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589900#Comment_118589900

There is. I posted a link earlier. Just writing that something doesn't work doesn't make it true.

walus · 06-02-2022 04:52PM

From the Academy for Science & Freedom at Hillsdale College in D.C. (mission and rationale:https://dc.hillsdale.edu/Academy-for-Science-and-Freedom/Overview/ )

interesting initiative and first presentation: https://youtu.be/t6kmm70ji5c

protection of having had covid without vaccination is better than protection from having had vaccination without covid infection
There is no benefit to vaccinating recovered people as it does not improve the protection from the virus any further
Double vaccinated and never infected have 4-10x greater chance to suffer from severe covid than those unvaccinated who recovered
Vaccine effectiveness against omicron drops to nearly 0 after 2 months. To be protected from omicron one would have get vaccine every month.
Peak booster protection against omicron is only 55%
Vaccinating young and healthy people and children has no medical justification

and plenty more on the effects of lockdowns, science politicization, pcr testing, the actual IFR numbers etc.

is_that_so · 06-02-2022 05:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590933#Comment_118590933

Run by Jayanta Bhattacharya, who thinks herd immunity is a thing, Scott Atlas, who encouraged residents to resist or "rise up" against state restrictions and was a Trump WH appointee and finally Martin Kulldorf, who opposed measures against COVID-19 such as lockdowns, contact tracing and mask mandates. Bhattacharya and Kulldorf were signatories of the GBD.

CalamariFritti · 06-02-2022 05:48PM

I have yet to read what walus posted, but do you think herd immunity is not ... a thing?

Why do you think countries open up? What do you think vaccinations and infections are doing?

ultrapercy · 06-02-2022 06:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590669#Comment_118590669

Link my bollix. If masks did anything to stop transmissio 50% of the pop wouldn't have become infected over 2 months.

Allinall · 06-02-2022 06:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591270#Comment_118591270

What about the other 50%?

how come they didn’t get infected?

ultrapercy · 06-02-2022 06:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591274#Comment_118591274

They most likely did but not in Dec and Jan

Allinall · 06-02-2022 06:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591282#Comment_118591282

Anything to back that up?

Your saying that 100% of the population have had Covid.

ultrapercy · 06-02-2022 06:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591289#Comment_118591289

Well it's widely accepted that almost half of the population have had it this winter. Most of the other half must have got it over the course of the other 18 months. Apart from unvaccinated me. I don't believe masks had more than a very negligible effect on transmission but you are entitled to your opinion too.

Allinall · 06-02-2022 06:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591309#Comment_118591309

Where is it widely accepted that half the population have got it this winter?

I haven’t seen that said anywhere.

Mecanudo · 06-02-2022 08:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591309#Comment_118591309

Why are you blaming higher infection rates soley on masks? Why not the effectiveness of vaccination, handwashing or social distancing? Or the fact that omicron is between two to four times more infectious than previous variants?Or is it you're sole bete noir here is just "masks"?

Wearing a mask is just one of the ways recommended to help reduce the risk of infection from covid. And to add to that, it is known that households are important settings for the transmission of covid. With increased mixing of household members being a significant factor in increases in infection rates over Christmas. Seriously it's like some people go full metal jacket on seeing a mask and their brain stops functioning or something.

06-02-2022 08:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590933#Comment_118590933

“Academy of science and freedom”. That has to be the funniest thing I have seen

I am sure they have faculty’s of “Epidemiology and patriotism” and “Molecular Biology and Moms apple pie”

Beasty · 06-02-2022 08:47PM

Take the mask discussion to the masks thread. It's been done to death several times over there mind

deholleboom · 06-02-2022 09:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589657#Comment_118589657

I think the discussion about masks is tedious because you are not made to wear one even though i admit many still are. It will wane over time but it is not compulsory unlike Covid Certs for international travelling and proof of vaccination linked to boosters. That is a BIG difference.

ultrapercy · 06-02-2022 11:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591730#Comment_118591730

I don't give a shite one way or the other, to be honest. I don't find it a big imposition to wear a mask in public spaces and I'm required to wear one at work all the time. I just don't believe masks are effective in preventing transmissiin of covid 19.

ultrapercy · 06-02-2022 11:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591316#Comment_118591316

There were 600,000 recorded cases in Dec/Jan the actual infectiin rate in the community is 3plus times that number according to Nempt. Thats not far off half the population.

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

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Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII Read OP For Mod Warnings