Covid 19 Part XXXII-215,743 ROI (4,137 deaths)111,166 NI (2,036 deaths)(22/02)Read OP

Ce he sin

Deleted User wrote: »

Or I could compare Ireland with Italy, who opened restaurants two weeks ago.

Or I could compare Ireland with Madrid, who have lifted the curfew until 11pm and allowed restaurants/bars to open.

Or I could compare Ireland to Cyprus, who are allowing tourist travel based on vaccines etc.

Or I could compare Ireland to Malta, who never locked down to any significant degree?

Or I could compare Ireland to.....

How many examples would you like before it becomes abundantly clear that Ireland is almost unique in its ridiculously over the top restrictions?

You can spend all night typing out random pairs of countries if that's what stokes your fire, but you're going nowhere to explaining why Norway and Sweden, two countries with much in common and a shared history at various times, have such different outcomes thus far.

Ficheall

Ce he sin wrote: »

You could have chosen to compare Sweden (few restrictions) ...

Sweden are in the process of organising measures to significantly increase their restrictions to prevent a load of deaths from a third wave - they've seen what happened in Ireland* and are keen to avoid it, and so intend to apply a lot of the same measures as we have, because they've seen it succeeded in reducing numbers. https://www.thelocal.se/20210217/explained-the-five-new-coronavirus-measures-announced-by-sweden
I think even Sweden admitted a while back that the "Swedish model" didn't work, yet some stalwarts are still unwilling to let it go.


*And elsewhere, presumably - but the crazy rise and subsequent impressive fall in Ireland's cases has definitely been noted abroad.

Ficheall

TheDoctor wrote: »

You'd swear covid was the deadliest virus to ever hit the planet the way some people go on.

I don't think anyone has suggested that. Presumably you could provide some supporting evidence?

spookwoman

frank8211

Deleted User wrote: »

Just to put it in some context -- 0.08% of the Irish population have lost their lives to COVID.

The average age of mortality is higher than the average life expectancy.

We have a vaccine - indeed, we have an entire menu of vaccines.

We remain closed.

And will do, for the foreseeable future - meanwhile the rest of Europe is slowly opening up.

Am I the only one absolutely disgusted by this set of circumstances?

Yes, or maybe 2 or 3 more

Locotastic

retro:electro wrote: »

We are talking about people visiting family here, one year on from this hell with the guts of another three months ago. Selfish? You’d swear people were licking people in the streets and spitting on strangers. Get a grip

I don't think some people will be able to cope after all of this. Imagine people living a normal life with freedom and independant thought.

Curtain twitchers will be self combusting.

Jinglejangle69

retro:electro wrote: »

We are talking about people visiting family here, one year on from this hell with the guts of another three months ago. Selfish? You’d swear people were licking people in the streets and spitting on strangers. Get a grip

I thought people were talking about a house party.

No need for the aggression chief.

We're all struggling and don't need anymore anger directed at us personally.

Ficheall

Locotastic wrote: »

Imagine people living a normal life with freedom and independant thought.

I can't remember who's who from the threads this time last year, but a lot of people were concerned well before the government and the WHO got their respective thumbs out. It's not necessarily that people are social distancing because of the government's advice, but because they don't actually want to catch covid.

"independent thought" seems to be one of those youtube blogger catchphrases - whose rhetoric have you subscribed to?

mollser

I can't understand how they are making such a hames of this.

1. Restrictions will ease as vaccination programme proceeds and hospitalizations improve.
2. The virus spreads in indoor settings. Therefore outdoor activities shall resume with everyone to maintain the basic precautions, social distancing etc. Meet up one household max and please limit such meet ups to once per week while we muddle through the next few weeks of this.

Actual normal people are done with this. People won't meet outdoors because of the curtain twitcher culture that had been deliberately cultivated, so they go indoors, like ffs duh

This is basic sh!t, need to stop patronising the public and have honest conversations. Penalizing people for driving 30km to a quiet beach is the exact opposite of what we should be doing, it should actually be promoted ffs.

Go to the quiet beach, stay safe, enjoy your time on God's green earth.

But they do need to change tact because this level 5 has stopped working.

I offer the above advice foc.

TheDoctor

Ficheall wrote: »

I don't think anyone has suggested that. Presumably you could provide some supporting evidence?

Very easily, people supporting the largest lockdowns human history for a virus

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Or I could compare Ireland with Italy, who opened restaurants two weeks ago.

Or I could compare Ireland with Madrid, who have lifted the curfew until 11pm and allowed restaurants/bars to open.

Or I could compare Ireland to Cyprus, who are allowing tourist travel based on vaccines etc.

Or I could compare Ireland to Malta, who never locked down to any significant degree?

Or I could compare Ireland to.....

How many examples would you like before it becomes abundantly clear that Ireland is almost unique in its ridiculously over the top restrictions?

There are 46 other countries in Europe, or 50 if one includes Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Cafes, bars, and/or restaurants are open in Romania, Serbia, Russia, the Ukraine, Italy (Europe's worst-affected country), Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Moldova, Armenia, Fyrom, Montenegro, Kosovo, Andorra, Malta, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, and the Vatican City.

This idea being pushed by the lockdowners that the prohibition on cafes is some sort of shared burden across Europe is just an outright lie when more than half of Europe's countries and almost all its people has their hospitality open.

Polar101

Deleted User wrote: »

To put it another way, Ireland is only 2,000 deaths away from equalling Sweden (which sounds like a lot, but over the course of 1 year, it isn't).

You're just picking up random numbers in order to make a point, which is straight from the Ivor Cummins school of pseudoscience.

Richard Hillman

We live in a country where

We're not allowed to leave the country
We're not allowed to renew our passports
We're not allowed to go further than 5km from our homes
We have a government party putting out dramatic videos about "illegal gatherings" and telling social media to take them down.

Folks, what is the breaking point? We know this virus barely affects younger people that are healthy. Whatcha gonna do?

Psychedelic Hedgehog

Richard Hillman wrote: »

We know this virus barely affects younger people that are healthy. Whatcha gonna do?

Personally speaking, I'm going to follow the rules, because our parents and grandparents deserve a chance.

Jinglejangle69

Richard Hillman wrote: »

We live in a country where

We're not allowed to leave the country
We're not allowed to renew our passports
We're not allowed to go further than 5km from our homes
We have a government party putting out dramatic videos about "illegal gatherings" and telling social media to take them down.

Folks, what is the breaking point? We know this virus barely affects younger people that are healthy. Whatcha gonna do?

Remember the hospitals in January??

To answer your question.

Keep everyone over the age of 60 welded in their houses??

What's your solution?

Real Donald Trump

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Remember the hospitals in January??

To answer your question.

Keep everyone over the age of 60 welded in their houses??

What's your solution?

The restrictions should be in place for them until May, and not everyone else, especially with vaccine roll out

Locotastic

Richard Hillman wrote: »

We live in a country where

We're not allowed to leave the country
We're not allowed to renew our passports
We're not allowed to go further than 5km from our homes
We have a government party putting out dramatic videos about "illegal gatherings" and telling social media to take them down.

Folks, what is the breaking point? We know this virus barely affects younger people that are healthy. Whatcha gonna do?

I think we are heading towards a tipping point where even the most resolute will say enough is enough.

People can travel into the country as they please more or less and yet we aren't supposed to go more than 5km from home and only then if its essential.

Who decides when it's over? When will it be deemed finished? Pandemics can also end when wider society eventually accepts the risks and no longer live in fear.

Listening to politicians telling us what we will or won't be 'allowed' to do 6 months from now is enough to push anyone over the edge.

Jinglejangle69

Real Donald Trump wrote: »

The restrictions should be in place for them until May, and not everyone else, especially with vaccine roll out

Thanks for giving your solution.

Weld the over 60s into their houses.

That's a lot of doctors, healthcare workers, Gards, civil service, bus drivers, train drivers etc as a small example.

But if you say so.

NeuralNetwork

Richard Hillman wrote: »

We live in a country where

We're not allowed to renew our passports

https://www.dfa.ie/passportonline/

Seems to be working fine and I know someone who renewed a passport recently without any fuss.

WoollyRedHat

NeuralNetwork wrote: »

https://www.dfa.ie/passportonline/

Seems to be working fine and I know someone who renewed a passport recently without any fuss.

You can submit application to renew it but they aren't doing routine application processing due to staff WFH and not having access to certain files at present due to L5. That particular poster loves being dramatic though.

If you really need to renew it due to having to travel for essential reasons this would be looked at obviously but they're not going to prioritize Johnny Ordinary's passport because he decides he 'urgently' needs to go to Lanzarote for a pool check up.

NeuralNetwork

NeuralNetwork wrote: »

https://www.dfa.ie/passportonline/

Seems to be working fine and I know someone who renewed a passport recently without any fuss.

Here's today's RTÉ report stating that the Government has now banned the issuing of passports.

Richard Hillman

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Remember the hospitals in January??

To answer your question.

Keep everyone over the age of 60 welded in their houses??

What's your solution?

Keep everyone over the age of 60 welded in their houses until vaccinated. Yes.

WoollyRedHat

b0nk1e wrote: »

Here's today's RTÉ report stating that the Government has now banned the issuing of passports.

That's not what the report says lol.

oceanman

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Keep everyone over the age of 60 welded in their houses until vaccinated. Yes.

i take it you are not 60 yet...

Turtwig

b0nk1e wrote: »

Here's today's RTÉ report stating that the Government has now banned the issuing of passports.

They havent banned it you can still get them for essential or emergency reasons.

And RTÉ are really late to the party here the passport office has suspended these passport applications since the level 5 was introduced. You could still submit your application online it just would not be processed.

WoollyRedHat

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Keep everyone over the age of 60 welded in their houses until vaccinated. Yes.

If only you were an elected representative making legislation from the get-go of this pandemic..

Locotastic

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

You can submit application to renew it but they aren't doing routine application processing due to staff WFH and not having access to certain files at present due to L5. That particular poster loves being dramatic though.

If you really need to renew it due to having to travel for essential reasons this would be looked at obviously but they're not going to prioritize Johnny Ordinary's passport because he decides he 'urgently' needs to go to Lanzarote for a pool check up.

Isn't it shocking that we are essentially trapped here but non residents can come and go as they please.

And yet MM was hoping to skip the vaccination queue to jet off to USA.

WoollyRedHat

Locotastic wrote: »

Isn't it shocking that we are essentially trapped here but non residents can come and go as they please.

I'll agree with that much, blame government for dithering.

votecounts

Rosita wrote: »

In fairness it'd be difficult for schools to cause outbreaks when they're closed

doesn't stop proper pubs getting the blame and they've been closed for nearly a year:)

Scuid Mhór

Hello all - I’ve noticed in the last couple of days that the general mood of the nation has collapsed. I can understand everyone’s frustration - all I want to say is that despite being quite young, I have an underlying condition that could seriously compromise me should I come down with covid. Most of my friends have nowhere near the same level of risk and since March 2020 it feels like I’ve almost been living outside of time, just waiting for a vaccine to not feel so anxious and paranoid all of the time doing quotidian and mundane activities like going grocery shopping or meeting up with my friends for a socially distanced walk. I know everyone has had to made sacrifices (I’m not trying to disregard them at all) but for those of us with underlying conditions, every interaction comes with some degree of real risk. I know everyone is fed up with the restrictions, and I’ve burned out on them a few times and taken risks I shouldn’t have. I know that this changing of the priority group order disadvantages some and advantages others. For those of us age 25 - 64 with underlying conditions, it’s the best piece of news we have read since March 2020. I am not an emotional man but I have had to wipe back a few tears reading the news today. To think that in a few weeks or a month or so, I can live without the same level of paranoia that has plagued me for so long is a very liberating feeling.

For all of you who don’t fall into those groups, who have no idea how long away a vaccine is for you, who are tired, frustrated and fed up with everything and just want to have a pint with their mates, I appreciate you taking these sacrifices for me and everyone like me, and I’ll remember it when society reopens around late 2021 or early 2022. Please don’t give into despair, you have given all of us a new lease of life. Even if you don’t realise it, by socially distancing for the last year, you’ve probably saved a significant number of us from being infected with a novel corona virus. Please keep going, we are so close to the end of this as a nation.

When I get vaccinated, I’ll be grateful to the pharmacist companies, the EU, the government, and everyone who took sacrifices for others when they didn’t have to for themselves.