When will it all end?

Julia68

I am a teacher. I just turned off my laptop having started working at noon today (Saturday). Tomorrow will be the same. This is after doing a FULL week of live lessons online. Same again from Monday. Stop pretending to know what you are talking about. Some NQTs are not evening earning the equivalent of PUP. They would be better off on it. Believe me the grass isn't greener on this side but if you want to try it out, feel free.

Edit: in response to samsonsmasher

Danno

bubblypop wrote: »

I reckon lockdown extended in March again, till 5th April.
That's Easter Monday, so paddy day and Easter missed. We will drop down on 6th April to a lower level.

People's patience will wear thin by then. Once February is over and the bills of Christmas are paid, itchy feet will set in. Days getting longer, improving weather and winter behind us it's gonna start cracking.

Samsonsmasher

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

It’s could just be the obvious reason- they don’t know yet because it’s impossible to know. I give politicians credit when they’re honest and say when they don’t know. And at this stage, they don’t know.

There are the lots of this game that will change and will influence how things go (vaccine availability and rollout, and whether the virus mutations are all covered by the virus). All they can do is wait and see.

We can't afford to "wait and see". Some of us actually have lives? You know we want to live? Work? Get out there and meet people? Have friends? Relationships? Fall in love? Enjoy anniversaries marriages christenings birthdays matches holidays have fun be young etc? Staying home staying 2m apart wearing masks and staring at the four walls all day makes normal people in the prime of their life go crazy as time they can never get back slips away like sand through their fingers?

El_Duderino 09

Samsonsmasher wrote: »

We can't afford to "wait and see". Some of us actually have lives? You know we want to live? Work? Get out there and meet people? Have friends? Relationships? Fall in love? Enjoy anniversaries marriages christenings birthdays matches holidays have fun be young etc? Staying home staying 2m apart wearing masks and staring at the four walls all day makes normal people in the prime of their life go crazy as time they can never get back slips away like sand through their fingers?

So when they are asked if there will be need for another lockdown in the future, and they don’t know the answer, what would you want them to do? Should they just a spunk off any old answer or should they say “I don’t know”?

Samsonsmasher

Danno wrote: »

People's patience will wear thin by then. Once February is over and the bills of Christmas are paid, itchy feet will set in. Days getting longer, improving weather and winter behind us it's gonna start cracking.

That's where the Gardaí come in. Fine and possibly arrest and imprison people who are at the end of their rope.

Consider a young guy who completed his leaving cert last year and turned 18 and started college. He'll be 19 this summer and maybe 20 or even 21 before "normal" returns. There might still be lockdowns and restrictions? He had ambitions to play for his club or county which is curtailed. He hasn't been on campus hasn't seen his old school friends since last March. He hasn't been in a pub or drank for the first time. He's still a virgin and has never had a girlfriend. He hasn't been abroad on holiday by himself. He hasn't lived alone. He's under his parents thumb. He hasn't learned to drive or got his licence yet. He hasn't got a job. He can't go out not even go to mass with his parents and he is stuck 5km in the middle of the country from his home. He's considering hanging himself?

Is NPHET even considering what a young lad like that is going through with this obsession with cases and deaths?

We are facing a mental health catastrophe.

For young lads like the guy I described and I know loads of these young fellas they have been locked up like Amanda Knox and the key thrown away.

They are being called selfish and told to "hold firm."

Dickie10

Samsonsmasher wrote: »

Yeah I am bitter.
We were told 100000 would die back in March.
Almost a year on we are prisoners in our own homes and we are living under tyranny that would make the Black and Tans eyes water.
Our country its economy its future its people are being sacrifice and destroyed for the sake of a virus with a death rate of 0.03%.
We are facing economic and societal collapse and civil war if we don't open up and open immediately.
I wouldn't be surprised if some people take up arms in the months ahead.

We are being dictated to by petty tyrants with gold plated salaries and pensions while this lockdown has become a dream come true for Annie Wilkes types - pathetic little men and women - who hate freedom hate craic hate sport hate socialising hate young people and want to keep everyone perpetually imprisoned.

Do you really believe there are people in charge like NYPHET and government who are anti sport/craic/socialising?
its hard to credit to be honest, but i know there is a defininte anti drink agenda there promoting here as well and we should be careful our freedoms are not whittled away at this time when they have us under the thumb. very ironic that last year they were so gleeful at opening the pubs on good friday now they wont open them for months on end.
to be honest i think theres no sense in opening anything now, get numbers right down and open from May 1st, should be no reason pubs should be closed after June. all vulnerable vaxxed by that stage, no reason for full normality by August. Thats how we live with covid. people will get it still and die, the same as they always did and always will. when are people going to realise you dont live for ever. no problem anyone that dosent want to partake in society grand , but the rest of us will live as we always have.

Samsonsmasher

Dickie10 wrote: »

Do you really believe there are people in charge like NYPHET and government who are anti sport/craic/socialising?
its hard to credit to be honest, but i know there is a defininte anti drink agenda there promoting here as well and we should be careful our freedoms are not whittled away at this time when they have us under the thumb. very ironic that last year they were so gleeful at opening the pubs on good friday now they wont open them for months on end.
to be honest i think theres no sense in opening anything now, get numbers right down and open from May 1st, should be no reason pubs should be closed after June. all vulnerable vaxxed by that stage, no reason for full normality by August. Thats how we live with covid. people will get it still and die, the same as they always did and always will. when are people going to realise you dont live for ever. no problem anyone that dosent want to partake in society grand , but the rest of us will live as we always have.

I think they are sadists and psychopaths playing with us. They are destroying this country.

Samsonsmasher

Samsonsmasher wrote: »

That's where the Gardaí come in. Fine and possibly arrest and imprison people who are at the end of their rope.

Consider a young guy who completed his leaving cert last year and turned 18 and started college. He'll be 19 this summer and maybe 20 or even 21 before "normal" returns. There might still be lockdowns and restrictions? He had ambitions to play for his club or county which is curtailed. He hasn't been on campus hasn't seen his old school friends since last March. He hasn't been in a pub or drank for the first time. He's still a virgin and has never had a girlfriend. He hasn't been abroad on holiday by himself. He hasn't lived alone. He's under his parents thumb. He hasn't learned to drive or got his licence yet. He hasn't got a job. He can't go out not even go to mass with his parents and he is stuck 5km in the middle of the country from his home. He's considering hanging himself?

Is NPHET even considering what a young lad like that is going through with this obsession with cases and deaths?

We are facing a mental health catastrophe.

For young lads like the guy I described and I know loads of these young fellas they have been locked up like Amanda Knox and the key thrown away.

They are being called selfish and told to "hold firm."

What about everybody?
Do you really think only 20 something's have it tough?
Get over it. It's a couple more months, then hopefully we will start back to normality.


Edit,
actually if you are feeling really bad, I would advise seeing your GP, honestly.

PTH2009

Didn't Dr Tony say how hard it is for his teen/early 20s children last year

Samsonsmasher

bubblypop wrote: »

What about everybody?
Do you really think only 20 something's have it tough?
Get over it. It's a couple more months, then hopefully we will start back to normality.


Edit,
actually if you are feeling really bad, I would advise seeing your GP, honestly.

How about opening up the country? Get back to normal?

Mr. Karate

Dickie10 wrote: »

Do you really believe there are people in charge like NYPHET and government who are anti sport/craic/socialising?

They certainly give off that impression. No amateur sports [we're ****ed on the professional level in the years to come since the kids and young adults can't train] gyms and other socializing venues have been closed and God only knows when they can resume.

So Yes. You can see why people think Govt and NPHet have an anti-social agenda.

Roger_007

Samsonsmasher wrote: »

That's where the Gardaí come in. Fine and possibly arrest and imprison people who are at the end of their rope.

Consider a young guy who completed his leaving cert last year and turned 18 and started college. He'll be 19 this summer and maybe 20 or even 21 before "normal" returns. There might still be lockdowns and restrictions? He had ambitions to play for his club or county which is curtailed. He hasn't been on campus hasn't seen his old school friends since last March. He hasn't been in a pub or drank for the first time. He's still a virgin and has never had a girlfriend. He hasn't been abroad on holiday by himself. He hasn't lived alone. He's under his parents thumb. He hasn't learned to drive or got his licence yet. He hasn't got a job. He can't go out not even go to mass with his parents and he is stuck 5km in the middle of the country from his home. He's considering hanging himself?

Is NPHET even considering what a young lad like that is going through with this obsession with cases and deaths?

We are facing a mental health catastrophe.

For young lads like the guy I described and I know loads of these young fellas they have been locked up like Amanda Knox and the key thrown away.

They are being called selfish and told to "hold firm."

I can’t help thinking of the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was a kid about what life was like when he was growing up. This was a time when there were no antibiotics and very few vaccines for anything. TB was the big killer and was rampant in this country. You could die from a minor infection from a cut finger.
He would have a teenager at the time of the Spanish Flu but I can’t recall him ever mentioning it.
If this Covid pandemic had occurred, say, 100 years ago it probably would have have been regarded as a minor inconvenience and there certainly would have been no lockdowns.
We have become so scared of illness or disease that it becomes all consuming and renders us unable to live our lives to the full in case there might be a risk that we will catch something.
We are a generation of scaredy-cats.

Mr. Karate

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

So when they are asked if there will be need for another lockdown in the future, and they don’t know the answer, what would you want them to do? Should they just a spunk off any old answer or should they say “I don’t know”?

If these assholes declared my business "non Essential" you bet your ass after all this time I would want a guarantee that when I can finally reopen that I can actually stay open.

MrStuffins

Samsonsmasher wrote: »

I think they are sadists and psychopaths playing with us. They are destroying this country.

No point trying to talk to someone with your attitude. This is some Trump-level delusion!

El_Duderino 09

Mr. Karate wrote: »

If these assholes declared my business "non Essential" you bet your ass after all this time I would want a guarantee that when I can finally reopen that I can actually stay open.

So do you just want them to tell you what you want to hear, regardless of whether it’s true? Or do you want them to truthfully tell you when they don’t know?

Mr. Karate

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

So do you just want them to tell you what you want to hear, regardless of whether it’s true? Or do you want them to truthfully tell you when they don’t know?

I want them to find their balls, Make a plan and stick to it and stop messing with people's lives and livelihoods. Leo said no more lockdowns when we started the Oct one. That was clearly a lie because we were barely open 5 minutes in December before they guaranteed this one.

El_Duderino 09

Mr. Karate wrote: »

I want them to find their balls, Make a plan and stick to it and stop messing with people's lives and livelihoods. Leo said no more lockdowns when we started the Oct one. That was clearly a lie because we were barely open 5 minutes in December before they guaranteed this one.

So they should pick a plan now, without the crucial information, and no matter how things change, they shouldn’t react to the changes?

PTH2009

The Living with Covid plan is a farce

Mr. Karate

PTH2009 wrote: »

The Living with Covid plan is a farce

It was to give us a false sense of hope that we were returning to normal.

PTH2009

Mr. Karate wrote: »

It was to give us a false sense of hope that we were returning to normal.

ha Level 1/2 are far from normality

wotzgoingon

PTH2009 wrote: »

ha Level 1/2 are far from normality

Still better than level 5. At least I can go for a drive around my county.

PTH2009

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Still better than level 5. At least I can go for a drive around my county.

you must live in a small county

Miccoli

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Still better than level 5. At least I can go for a drive around my county.

Is that the level of freedom we are supposed to be happy with?

wotzgoingon

PTH2009 wrote: »

you must live in a small county

I was talking about being in at least Level 3 when you can drive around your county.

GazzaL

Samsonsmasher wrote: »

We can't afford to "wait and see". Some of us actually have lives? You know we want to live? Work? Get out there and meet people? Have friends? Relationships? Fall in love? Enjoy anniversaries marriages christenings birthdays matches holidays have fun be young etc? Staying home staying 2m apart wearing masks and staring at the four walls all day makes normal people in the prime of their life go crazy as time they can never get back slips away like sand through their fingers?

Life is too short for this bull****. Imagine if you were struck down tomorrow, what would you make of the last 10 months of your life? Unable to see family and friends, out of work, unable to travel and explore the world, etc. What a waste of life.

Tiredandcranky

aido79 wrote: »

Unless they can see into the future then nobody can say there won't be any more lockdowns.
I believe that once the hospital numbers drop then there won't be a need for lockdowns. There will still be people with covid but a lot less need for them to go to hospital because if the vaccine is effective then the cases will be in younger people. There's a huge difference between 1000's of people sick in hospital beds than 1000's of people sick at home in their own beds.

What exactly do you think they're not telling us?

Agree this is the ideal scenario in the short term. I think realistically there isn’t a hope of herd immunity in the short term. We won’t be able to vaccinate enough (esp with new variant and u16s excl from vaccine), or fast enough. So the best we can hope for in the short term is vaccinate the vulnerable to allow health system to cope. As time passes you then attempt to vaccinate everyone.

The only trouble with this plan is the importation of new variants. It’s only a matter of time before a vaccine resistant one comes around. Then you have to revaccinate. The only solution to this is a combination of sealing your borders and fast mass test and trace when cases are detected. Some people call this zero COVID. Whatever you call it, it has to be done. And will be eventually when our politicians finally wake up. You’ll then have a world where countries are COVID free or not. Those that are COVID free will allow travel between them with vaccination certification.

That’s where we’re headed. How long it takes to get there depends on when our politicians pull their heads out of their ass. If you want to hurry it up, pressure them to adopt a zero COVID strategy now. Drive it down, vaccinate, keep it out. Then we can all get back to living our lives.

doc22

Tiredandcranky wrote: »

That’s where we’re headed. How long it takes to get there depends on when our politicians pull their heads out of their ass. If you want to hurry it up, pressure them to adopt a zero COVID strategy now. Drive it down, vaccinate, keep it out. Then we can all get back to living our lives.

Zero Covid forever :pac: There's more chance of just letting it run wild and free, the money going to run out eventually...

utterly utterly depressing listening to Prof Philip Nolan on Newstalk right now. He's basically saying we will be severely restricted for months to come, going to almost Zero Covid (or Zero tolerance Covid) and we only open up REAL priorities over the next 6 months... i.e. education and healthcare.........right up to September. Looks like there will be no holidays in Ireland this Summer as well as none abroad (according to him). How on earth can people tolerate this ? No crowded events until over 70% of the population is vaccinated either.

(he has also said most of the infection is in the over 65's and this is not reducing as fast as the reduction in ALL other age groups. The rest of the population is doing really well. So we are all stopping our lives for this older age group...........indefinitely)

I feel utterly depressed.

landofthetree

The EU put an idiot in charge.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is trying to get out of the firing line as anger grows over the EU's botched vaccine rollout. It's not the first time in her career that she has sought to evade responsibility.

Europe is facing a vaccine disaster. Whereas countries like Israel, Britain and the United States. are quickly moving ahead with vaccinations, the EU is reeling from a string of setbacks. First, U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech informed Brussels that it would be delivering far less vaccine than planned in the coming weeks. Then, the company AstraZeneca said it would only be delivering 31 million doses of its vaccine by the end of March instead of the 80 million Europe had been expecting. And again, the Commission was caught completely off guard.

Since then, frustration and anger has been growing across the EU. Europe, one of the most affluent regions in the world, is proving to be unable to quickly protect its citizens from a deadly disease, while other countries are showing how it is done.

And the boss is nowhere to be found.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/europe-s-vaccine-disaster-commission-president-ursula-von-der-leyen-seeking-to-duck-responsibility-a-1197547d-6219-4438-9d69-b76e64701802-amp?__twitter_impression=true

gozunda

Roger_007 wrote: »

I can’t help thinking of the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was a kid about what life was like when he was growing up. This was a time when there were no antibiotics and very few vaccines for anything. TB was the big killer and was rampant in this country. You could die from a minor infection from a cut finger.
He would have a teenager at the time of the Spanish Flu but I can’t recall him ever mentioning it.
If this Covid pandemic had occurred, say, 100 years ago it probably would have have been regarded as a minor inconvenience and there certainly would have been no lockdowns.
We have become so scared of illness or disease that it becomes all consuming and renders us unable to live our lives to the full in case there might be a risk that we will catch something.
We are a generation of scaredy-cats.

On the Spanish flu in Ireland. It was most certainly not a minor inconvenience by any stretch of the imagination.

In Ireland alone It is estimated that some 23,000 people died and 800,000 were infected.

The Spanish Flu in Ireland was responsible for many more deaths than the Easter Rising, War of Independence and Civil War combined

Those with the highest mortality rate were young people between the ages of 25-35. My own great grandfather is listed on his older brother death certificate as being present at the time of his death. He died of Spanish Flu aged just 23 years of age.

There was no national health service, no antibiotics to treat secondary infections.
Meetings of large groups of people risked spreading the disease and from reports many markets, fairs, sports events and election rallies were called off. Cinemas and theatre were closed in many different places. People stayed at home to try and avoid catching it from others.

From the ports the disease swept across Ireland in three waves: mild in spring 1918; lethal in autumn 1918; and moderate in early 1919.

In October 1918 The Cork Examiner recorded it spreading at an “alarming” rate: “Scarcely a household” in Clonakilty did not have at least one person in bed with flu. At Carrigaline no letters were delivered “owing to the local postman being confined to his room with the disease”. Many policemen were laid up in Tipperary; and all over Ireland the number of prison warders off sick was thought to make escapes more likely. Doctors were “on foot night and day”, reported the Tipperary Star, but were baffled how to cope with the “mysterious malady”.

The impact of the disease on the younger generation was huge especially and added to the already horrendous death toll of young men who had died during the war.

That the aftermath of disease was not spoken about by many families is perhaps not surprising and much in the way we rarely hear of the entire households who were wiped out by TB in the following decades

It is because of these previous pandemics that we now know what has to be done to save lives and more importantly stop our health care system from being overrun.

But as you say its likely nothing more than an 'inconvenience' and we're all a bunch of scaredy-cats

Perhaps a good name for the Pandaemic would be " The Great Inconvenience"? Would that suit?