Coronavirus (COVID-19)

JP Liz V1

Augeo wrote: »

Is the airport busy?

More than 34,000 people arrived into the State - including more than 1,200 from high-risk countries such as Brazil and South Africa - in the three-week period after the Government signed off on mandatory hotel quarantine plans.

Coalition plans to confine arrivals from 33 high-risk countries in hotels are still not operational more than a month after the Cabinet signed off on them and a fortnight after President Michael D Higgins signed them into law. The system is expected to begin this week.

New figures from the Department of Justice show that between February 22 and last Sunday, 34,417 people arrived, including 20,759 Irish residents and 13,658 non-residents.

The most popular reason residents and non-residents gave for flying into Ireland was a holiday or visit.

The department did not provide a breakdown of how many had been abroad or were arriving on holiday or a visit.

Irish was the top nationality, with Great Britain being the most popular country of departure.

The Sunday Independent reported last month that more than 9,000 people, including 7,600 Irish residents, gave holidays or visits as their reason for travelling in a two-week period in February.

The Government is continuing to advise against all non-essential travel in and out of the State, with all arrivals requiring a negative PCR test within the previous 72 hours.

Passengers arriving in Ireland between February 22 and March 14 included 1,000 people from Brazil, the vast majority of whom - 908 - were Irish residents, and 213 from South Africa, 129 of whom were residents.

On average, just under 50 people a day have been arriving from Brazil, although on one day last month - February 24 - 100 arrived.

Both countries are on the schedule two list of countries public health officials have deemed to have variants of concern.

On Thursday, Nphet confirmed there are 24 cases of the B1351 variant that originated in South Africa in Ireland and seven of the P1 variant that originated in Brazil.

Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, confirmed the majority of these cases were travel-related, but said there were "some" in the community that did not have a travel link.

Thirty-three countries are on the list, including the UAE, which has previously accounted for a large number of overseas arrivals, and several Latin American and African countries.

The Department of Justice was able to provide statistics only for Brazil and South Africa when asked for detailed figures last week.

It also said staff at its border management unit would no longer collect such data once mandatory quarantine is operational as staff will be assisting with the new system.

Arrivals from schedule two countries will be required to go into mandatory quarantine in a hotel for two weeks and undergo testing for Covid-19.

The Government is expected to put the new system into operation early this week. It will take 48 hours from when the online booking system goes live for people who arrive to be sent into hotel quarantine.

Once it is up and running, anyone arriving from these countries will be asked by their airline to book a spot in a designated hotel quarantine facility. It will cost up to €2,000 per adult for a two-week stay.

Anyone who flies in without a negative PCR test will also be quarantined.

At present, arrivals from the schedule two countries are asked to quarantine at home for up to 14 days, and can be subject to garda checks to ensure they remain at home.

It is unclear how many checks have been carried out in recent weeks.

The Sunday Independent previously revealed how gardaí were for three weeks unable to carry out checks on hundreds of people arriving in the State from high-risk countries because of data protection issues that prevented the Department of Health from sharing the information.

Gardaí only began house checks at the end of last month, weeks after the home quarantine provisions were introduced.

https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/quarantine-delay-allows-1213-fly-in-from-risk-nations-40220929.html

Corholio

https://twitter.com/DublinAirport/status/1372564109724618755?s=19

JP Liz V1

Wolf359f wrote: »

8pm Hospital Update:
in Hospital: 366 (up 16)
In ICU: 80 (down 3 / 1 Death)

Last Sunday:
In Hospital: 355
In ICU: 86

Maybe ACE knows the Cork hospitals updates currently?

pwurple

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Maybe ACE knows the Cork hospitals updates currently?

Anyone can get the hospital updates... they are posted here every day.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/coronavirus-daily-operations-updates.html


CUH is 13
Mercy 3

pwurple

Gaspode wrote: »

I disagree. We are still in a pandemic, so looking to go out to a wildlife park is nonsense imo. Its a pain but people should be staying at home. I understand the impatience but like it or not we're still in level 5.

Do you live in Cork?

Half a million people live here. Each of our handful of minuscule city parks and walkways is packed to the gills. it’s at the level where people are brushing off each other. Douglas park yesterday you could have crowd surfed. Yet, our COVID rates are low.

Do you genuinely think letting people walk around an open air 100 acre facility instead of up and down the marina for the 100th time is going to shoot up rates?

rob316

Went to the usual park yesterday with the kids, couldn't even get parking so I said **** this were going to the beach. Drove down to garretstown, we strolled around for a couple of hours, had an ice cold swim, stopped on the bridge in kinsale for fish and chips on the way back. The atmosphere at home last night was great, kids were delighted they actually did something, and really cleared my head.

I'll be doing similar again next weekend and I'll take the fine if I get stopped. 5k is utter bollox, I'm not been imprisoned in the city anymore when we have 10 cases a day.

mean gene

rob316 wrote: »

Went to the usual park yesterday with the kids, couldn't even get parking so I said **** this were going to the beach. Drove down to garretstown, we strolled around for a couple of hours, had an ice cold swim, stopped on the bridge in kinsale for fish and chips on the way back. The atmosphere at home last night was great, kids were delighted they actually did something, and really cleared my head.

I'll be doing similar again next weekend and I'll take the fine if I get stopped. 5k is utter bollox, I'm not been imprisoned in the city anymore when we have 10 cases a day.

any checkpoints?

Chuck Noland

mean gene wrote: »

any checkpoints?

Sure why would they deter you? Your just driving to a friends house to feed their pet as they aren’t home or going to a graveyard to pay respects. Absolutely nothing a Garda can do once presented with either as a reason.

JeffKenna

Chuck Noland wrote: »

Sure why would they deter you? Your just driving to a friends house to feed their pet as they aren’t home or going to a graveyard to pay respects. Absolutely nothing a Garda can do once presented with either as a reason.

In fairness to the Guards I get the impression they don't want to be there at all.

Mardyke

The problem in Cork (Ireland, in general) is that everyone needs to (or sometimes feels a need to) drive somewhere to be outdoors.

If there was more seating and pedestrian friendly streets and areas, then everyone wouldn't have to drive to the same few parks.

Pen Rua

Mardyke wrote: »

The problem in Cork (Ireland, in general) is that everyone needs to (or sometimes feels a need to) drive somewhere to be outdoors.

If there was more seating and pedestrian friendly streets and areas, then everyone wouldn't have to drive to the same few parks.

How does pedestrianized streets & on street seating fulfill people's desires for nice parks and the beach?

Pen Rua

Loosely tied to COVID & Cork - the Mercy is getting 30 new beds & two theaters within the year. https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-40248785.html

pwurple

Mardyke wrote: »

The problem in Cork (Ireland, in general) is that everyone needs to (or sometimes feels a need to) drive somewhere to be outdoors.

If there was more seating and pedestrian friendly streets and areas, then everyone wouldn't have to drive to the same few parks.

Or if they didn’t deforest or raze every bit of mature greenery in existence and “replace” with saplings. We are also woefully under-served with playgrounds for families around the city. EU standard is one small playground per 10,000 residents, or one large (fitzgeralds park) per 100,000. We should have 5 Fitzgerald’s parks size ones, or another 40 small ones.


As much as the oldies like sauntering on concrete with their coffees, children need to play. A bench in a street doesn’t cut it. For their development, for their health, parks or playgrounds are needed. And I don’t mean a plain square of mown grass. Without those civic facilities, then yes, people will need to go to beaches, woods etc.

Mardyke

Pen Rua wrote: »

How does pedestrianized streets & on street seating fulfill people's desires for nice parks and the beach?

Lots of people just want somewhere to meet up for a chat and a coffee. If you give those poeple alternatives then it takes some of the pressure off the parks. Quite simple.

Stark

pwurple wrote: »

Or if they didn’t deforest or raze every bit of mature greenery in existence and “replace” with saplings. We are also woefully under-served with playgrounds for families around the city. EU standard is one small playground per 10,000 residents, or one large (fitzgeralds park) per 100,000. We should have 5 Fitzgerald’s parks size ones, or another 40 small ones.


As much as the oldies like sauntering on concrete with their coffees, children need to play. A bench in a street doesn’t cut it. For their development, for their health, parks or playgrounds are needed. And I don’t mean a plain square of mown grass. Without those civic facilities, then yes, people will need to go to beaches, woods etc.

Cork city had loads of playgrounds when I was growing up but they all got torn down over the years. Presume it was a compo culture thing. I think there might be something in the Glen again but a shadow of its former self (the slide they had in the 80s was epic).

Pen Rua

Mardyke wrote: »

Lots of people just want somewhere to meet up for a chat and a coffee. If you give those poeple alternatives then it takes some of the pressure off the parks. Quite simple.

Not a single person in this thread has expressed a desire for "somewhere to meet up" for a coffee. We're saying we tired of the same 2-3 parks in a city for close 200,000 people.

If outdoor dining was permitted again & with the Council's cooperation, there's plenty of cafes ready and willing to operate on street seating for people who wish to meet up.

whatever76

Stark wrote: »

Cork city had loads of playgrounds when I was growing up but they all got torn down over the years. Presume it was a compo culture thing. I think there might be something in the Glen again but a shadow of its former self (the slide they had in the 80s was epic).

OMG - you just brought me back to that slide in the Glen !! Many a leg burn I go on that !!!

opus

Stark wrote: »

Cork city had loads of playgrounds when I was growing up but they all got torn down over the years. Presume it was a compo culture thing. I think there might be something in the Glen again but a shadow of its former self (the slide they had in the 80s was epic).

Glen River park is starting to see a bit of love from the council again I think. When the parkrun was on there every week (seems like years ago now ), one of the group used to do a cleanup every Sat morning & take away a bag or two of rubbish.

Then a local group got together to do a monthly cleanup as well. Saw in the paper that the council are going to put in some bins & a permanent orienteering course which will hopefully help a bit. It really is a lovely spot & nowhere near as packed as Fitzgerald/Douglas/Lee Fields.

rob316

mean gene wrote: »

any checkpoints?

Nope not one, your either an idiot or gemma doherty if you can't get past one though.

TheChizler

rob316 wrote: »

Went to the usual park yesterday with the kids, couldn't even get parking so I said **** this were going to the beach.

It was a lovely day, why drive to the park?

Pen Rua

I listened to a podcast recently (Marshall Pruett - he has a great podcast on all things American motorsport) and he shared a very interesting thought. We all have a choice to come online and be either 1) friendly, kind and engage in good natured conversation or, 2) to be horrible and spread negativity at any chance we have. I tried to the former, engaging in a discussion around open areas in this city and the lack thereof. Evidently, you've gone for the latter.

We're all having a pretty terrible time at the minute. We could all do with trying to engage online with a sense of civility and good nature.

Have a great day, Mardyke.

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

It was a lovely day, why drive to the park?

With kids walking to a destination isn't always an option, could take little ones an hour to walk a mile and they might well not find the experience enjoyable

rob316

TheChizler wrote: »

It was a lovely day, why drive to the park?

They like that zip line thing in the regional park, 11km is a bit long to walk for small kids :pac:

funnydoggy

The Marina has never been so busy. Spent a few hours at the docks yesterday with lunch and a takeaway pint from Goldbergs. Beautiful end to the weekend.

Mardyke

Pen Rua wrote: »

I listened to a podcast recently (Marshall Pruett - he has a great podcast on all things American motorsport) and he shared a very interesting thought. We all have a choice to come online and be either 1) friendly, kind and engage in good natured conversation or, 2) to be horrible and spread negativity at any chance we have. I tried to the former, engaging in a discussion around open areas in this city and the lack thereof. Evidently, you've gone for the latter.

We're all having a pretty terrible time at the minute. We could all do with trying to engage online with a sense of civility and good nature.

Have a great day, Mardyke.

Do me a favour! Your comment was certainly not the former. You might like to think of yourself as "friendly, kind and engage in good natured conversation" but that's not how it comes across. Sorry.

Think before you jump down someone's throat in future.

TheChizler

rob316 wrote: »

They like that zip line thing in the regional park, 11km is a bit long to walk for small kids :pac:

Ok, it sounded like you were only going further than 5k cause you couldn't get parking, but you had already done it at that point.

Stark

I presume the 11km is out and back. And the 5km thing is as the crow flies, the actual walking/driving route to get to the perimeter is generally longer.

Mardyke

TheChizler wrote: »

Ok, it sounded like you were only going further than 5k cause you couldn't get parking, but you had already done it at that point.

There's a massive car park by LIDL, which is only a 5 min stroll to Ballincollig Regional Park. Lack of parking should never be a problem there.

JP Liz V1

https://twitter.com/NeilRedFM/status/1373946791083794433

pwurple

Mardyke wrote: »

There's a massive car park by LIDL, which is only a 5 min stroll to Ballincollig Regional Park. Lack of parking should never be a problem there.

You mean LIDLs car park? The one for LIDL customers while they do their shopping...

wouldn’t that be against the rules?