Galway COVID-19, local news and discussion

gordongekko

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

On RTE news this afternoon they're saying that there are currently 13 in hospital with confirmed Covid, 10 of whom are in intensive care. However they reported that there are an additional 158 in hospital with suspected Covid. Of nurses and Drs I've spoken to who have treated it, it's quite clinically distinct.

Nphet are saying that people contacted as part of the close contact tracing are not turning up for testing. Irish Times reports GPs are finding symptomatic patients are refusing to get a Covid test, one GP said he sees at least one such patient a day, sometimes 3. Nphet are also saying that recently ill Covid patients are tending to wait on average until day 5 of the illness before seeing a Dr and beginning quarantine too.


If suspected hospital cases are that high there have to be more cases in the country than are reflected in official numbers. Makes you wonder what actual figures are like.

Why in the name of god would you not take a test. FFS these people should be told that if they subsequently have Covid an have refused a test that they'll be charged with assault

_Whimsical_

gordongekko wrote: »

Why in the name of god would you not take a test. FFS these people should be told that if they subsequently have Covid an have refused a test that they'll be charged with assault

You really would wonder. GPs haven't really said. One GP said that on 2 occasions during phone consults when he insisted a test was needed he was hung up on.

I suspect that maybe they are just reluctant to have a diagnosis and know they have to now quarantine - maybe because it'll mean 2 weeks off work.
Pub, restaurant and lots of other jobs don't have great conditions for providing sick leave and security in terms of knowing you'll get your hours to come back to. If some can keep going they will. Last week in the Dail hearing on outbreaks in meat plants some stories were told of workers taking paracetamol in order to reduce their fever so that they could fool temperature checks. The conditions of employment were such that they felt they couldn't be sure they'd still have a job if they didn't turn up every day.

Mrs OBumble

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

You really would wonder. GPs haven't really said. One GP said that on 2 occasions during phone consults when he insisted a test was needed he was hung up on.

I suspect that maybe they are just reluctant to have a diagnosis and know they have to now quarantine - maybe because it'll mean 2 weeks off work.
Pub, restaurant and lots of other jobs don't have great conditions for providing sick leave and security in terms of knowing you'll get your hours to come back to. If some can keep going they will. Last week in the Dail hearing on outbreaks in meat plants some stories were told of workers taking paracetamol in order to reduce their fever so that they could fool temperature checks. The conditions of employment were such that they felt they couldn't be sure they'd still have a job if they didn't turn up every day.

There are definitely some employment law changes which are needed. Paid sick leave in all jobs would be top of my list.

_Whimsical_

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

There are definitely some employment law changes which are needed. Paid sick leave in all jobs would be top of my list.

Yeah the repercussions of people feeling they have to go work sick will come home to roost for everyone now if it's not addressed. Might actually happen now that it won't be just an issue for individuals and for low paid!

Fernando Muscular Sibilant

Fernando Muscular Sibilant wrote: »

How many can’t wear masks, feck all I’d say.

Total cop out. I’d question that under 13 rule too but it’s not that hard to tell a child’s age they are likely to always be accompanied etc (should they even be using busses at the moment is another question unless it’s vital).

The law states makes must be worn and fines or even prison is available as punishment. I’d pay to see some fool go to prison for their ignorance if refusing to wear a mask.



No idea why the drivers don’t enforce it, I’d personally take great pleasure in refusing entry to people who are too think to respect this important rule in the time of a pandemic.

If they dont have the prison spaces to lock up repeat offenders, or even better, two lads who met up to fight on the Dublin road you can forget about that.

The only way our enforcements work is due to the fact most will comply with the laws.
If we actually had to properly enforce laws we'd be in trouble.

Wompa1

Also, while someone who is older and passionate about people wearing masks would think if put in a position of working in a shop or restaurant they'd only love to tell people to wear a mask.

They either never worked that kind of job before or it's been so long they don't remember what it's like.

Doing that all day would be f'kin exhausting and getting paid minimum wage or close to it is not enough to catch aggro from some arsehole who doesn't want to wear a mask.

Fitz*

Have been on PT 6 times in the last couple days, I'd say mask wearing is at about 95%+ overall those journeys combined. Max one person per trip not wearing any.

Blondie919

The majority of people in Oranmore Lidl today wearing masks which was good to see. Unfortunately no-one but myself wearing one in my local Spar a few hours later. None of the staff are wearing them either. Needless to say I won't be going there anymore.

Mrs OBumble

Blondie919 wrote: »

None of the staff are wearing them either. Needless to say I won't be going there anymore.

Aren't the staff behind perspex, though?

Blondie919

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Aren't the staff behind perspex, though?

One was, the other wasn't. Perspex only covers the till area. The staff still need to walk through the shop to get to the tills. Still, I wont shop there again if I can help it.

inisboffin

Aldi tonight, 90% wearing masks.
Smaller shops, not at all.

Had to get PT this week, about 1/3 not wearing masks.

Driver on one bus let 3 on but warned them all they wouldn't get on 'next time' :rolleyes:

In general seeing tons of people wearing it over mouth only (what is the poiiiint lads?)

gordongekko

inisboffin wrote: »

In general seeing tons of people wearing it over mouth only (what is the poiiiint lads?)

I figure there is a huge amount of people that seem to think the virus enters through their chin

I’ve heard aldi will be making mask wearing compulsory for all staff from Monday in advance of it becoming law, hopefully other shops do similar and also start pointing it out to shoppers also that they won’t be allowed to enter without a mask after the law comes in.

The fact mask wearing on PT shot up once the law actually came in shows that a law is needed as people are too stupid to follow guidelines.

Whereisgalway

Passed by JD sports yesterday, no staff at the front filtering people in/out and the store Jammed packed. Zero social distancing inside or thought out into any system, just sale sale sale..... Needless to say I didn’t go in

Mrs OBumble

Fernando Muscular Sibilant wrote: »

I’ve heard aldi will be making mask wearing compulsory for all staff from Monday in advance or it becoming law, hopefully other shops do similar and also start pointing it out to shoppers also that they won’t be allowed to enter without a mask after the law comes in.

Are they providing clinical waste disposal bins and hand washing facilities at the exit doors? Checking to see that the handmade jobs are at least 3 layers thick?

gordongekko

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Are they providing clinical waste disposal bins and hand washing facilities at the exit doors? Checking to see that the handmade jobs are at least 3 layers thick?

There is no requirement in the legislation for any of this.

FishOnABike

inisboffin wrote: »

Aldi tonight, 90% wearing masks.
Smaller shops, not at all.

Had to get PT this week, about 1/3 not wearing masks.

Driver on one bus let 3 on but warned them all they wouldn't get on 'next time' :rolleyes:

In general seeing tons of people wearing it over mouth only (what is the poiiiint lads?)

Mouthbreathers

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Are they providing clinical waste disposal bins and hand washing facilities at the exit doors? Checking to see that the handmade jobs are at least 3 layers thick?

Why would they be doing any of that? They have had hand sanitiser for months and most masks are reusable so why would clinical waste disposal be provided and even if they were disposable what’s wrong with the normal bin a face mask in this usage is not clinical waste.

Sconsey

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Are they providing clinical waste disposal bins and hand washing facilities at the exit doors? Checking to see that the handmade jobs are at least 3 layers thick?

Clinical waste disposal bins? that's a new one on me, are discarded masks more dangerous than used tissues? where are all the clinical bins for tissues I wonder.

Actually why not just clearly state the purpose of your post because I am genuinely struggling to get what point you are trying to make. Instead of all the 'gotcha-style' questions, why not just make your point, I think it would make for better discourse.

Mrs OBumble

Sconsey wrote: »

Clinical waste disposal bins? that's a new one on me, are discarded masks more dangerous than used tissues? where are all the clinical bins for tissues I wonder.

Actually why not just clearly state the purpose of your post because I am genuinely struggling to get what point you are trying to make. Instead of all the 'gotcha-style' questions, why not just make your point, I think it would make for better discourse.

My point is very clear. We need to assume that used masks - like tissues - are contaminated with Covid-19. They should be safely removed, and either put into a sealed plastic bag (before being washed at 60+ degrees) or disposed of safely, and that doesn't mean an open bin where they can blow around. Then hands need to be washed, before they spread the germs that were on the mask.

The amount of idiot behaviour I've seen around this is stunning. eg people going into a cafe, sanitise hands at the door then order at the counter and pay with cash, sit at a table and take the mask off, leaving it on the table. Ate sandwiches with their fingers - and then masked up again (same snotty mask as before) before leaving with no distancing.

Doing masks half-arsed / wrong is possibly more dangerous, overall, than not doing it at all.

Wompa1

Sconsey wrote: »

Clinical waste disposal bins? that's a new one on me, are discarded masks more dangerous than used tissues? where are all the clinical bins for tissues I wonder.

In fairness, the what about the flu brigade actually raise a valid point that I don't think they intend to. I'm not saying you are one of those people but just because we don't do something today, doesn't mean we shouldn't in future.

We should all be getting the flu shot each year. It's unacceptable for only 1 in 3 in healthcare to get the shot.

We should be more mindful of each other's space, washing hands and coughing etiquette going forward. Hopefully the sanitizer dispensers are here to stay.

We should have a proper sick pay policy in place to encourage people to stay home.

We should incentivize work from home.

We should set policies on deep cleaning of hotel rooms, hospital rooms, offices etc.

We should probably look at things like proper disposal of tissues, gloves etc.

We should look at recommending people take their shoes off in their own homes to prevent tracking sh1t in with them.

Let's try to reduce the number of people dying from the Flu each year or even from spreading things like the winter vomiting bug, MRSA etc.

Wompa1

https://twitter.com/mistereatgalway/status/1284983504305041408

Our old friend JP is going to start taking credit card information for all bookings from this weekend forward due to late cancellations and not being able to absorb them given the already reduced capacity.

I'd imagine with the time limit, there would be pint hounds booking in multiple places and then maybe feeling the affects before their next booking and going home instead or some seeing the good weather and deciding to get cans and drink outside instead. It's a really tough situation for pubs and restaurants.

Whereisgalway

Wompa1 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/mistereatgalway/status/1284983504305041408

Our old friend JP is going to start taking credit card information for all bookings from this weekend forward due to late cancellations and not being able to absorb them given the already reduced capacity.

I'd imagine with the time limit, there would be pint hounds booking in multiple places and then maybe feeling the affects before their next booking and going home instead or some seeing the good weather and deciding to get cans and drink outside instead. It's a really tough situation for pubs and restaurants.

Jp also likes keep his name in the papers and craves the limelight

I doubt any “pint hounds” would be going to cava to continue their session.

Sconsey

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

My point is very clear. We need to assume that used masks - like tissues - are contaminated with Covid-19. They should be safely removed, and either put into a sealed plastic bag (before being washed at 60+ degrees) or disposed of safely, and that doesn't mean an open bin where they can blow around. Then hands need to be washed, before they spread the germs that were on the mask.

The amount of idiot behaviour I've seen around this is stunning. eg people going into a cafe, sanitise hands at the door then order at the counter and pay with cash, sit at a table and take the mask off, leaving it on the table. Ate sandwiches with their fingers - and then masked up again (same snotty mask as before) before leaving with no distancing.

Doing masks half-arsed / wrong is possibly more dangerous, overall, than not doing it at all.

Ok I know what you mean, in an ideal world we would be able to safely dispose of them perfectly but even used masks in a bin are better than nothing. Better to have a contaminated mask in a bin than to have that contamination on surfaces in public places.
The whole education on mask use is an issue, am surprised the government have not kicked off a major awarness campaign yet. It worked for hand washing so it should work for mask usage.

Wompa1 wrote: »

I'd imagine with the time limit, there would be pint hounds booking in multiple places and then maybe feeling the affects before their next booking and going home instead or some seeing the good weather and deciding to get cans and drink outside instead. It's a really tough situation for pubs and restaurants.

Pint hounds ... put a smile on my face.

inisboffin

Fernando Muscular Sibilant wrote: »

I doubt any “pint hounds” would be going to cava to continue their session.

:P

Wine foxes? LOL!

Spendy tapas is handy though for hitting the auld €9 mark.
I had no idea this was a thing, also people leaving food behind, until a friend who works in a restaurant said it is!

topcat77

A neighbor of mine went to a well known Italian restaurant in the city last Friday. what he described to me was very disappointing. People jammed in as normal and they stayed for 3 hours!

Whereisgalway

topcat77 wrote: »

A neighbor of mine went to a well known Italian restaurant in the city last Friday. what he described to me was very disappointing. People jammed in as normal and they stayed for 3 hours!

Name them

topcat77

Whereisgalway wrote: »

Name them

No, but i'll give you a clue. It's very close to the river.

topcat77

On another note. I've been to Oslo for lunch twice and have been very happy with the setup, apart from the uninspiring menu.