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

votecounts

Turtwig wrote: »

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.

I wondered why this was in the news as they've stopped processing them since after Christmas

NeuralNetwork

b0nk1e wrote: »

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

"However, a same-day service is continuing for emergencies including bereavement, illness or medical treatment overseas.

A weekly urgent service is still also being provided for Irish citizens resident overseas who require a passport for local immigration purposes.

These applicants are advised contact their local Irish Embassy or Consulate General."

and the reason:

"The Department of Foreign Affairs has said that Passport Service staff "do not have access to private, personal data when working outside of our secure offices and so cannot process passport applications remotely.''

So they haven't banned anything. It's just a practical issue for WFH.

Cork2021

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

Locotastic

Cork2021 wrote: »

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

Plenty will follow suit, tide is turning and people aren't just going to mindlessly follow NPHETs advice any more, when they've left the country wide open yet put the whole country on a seemingly endless lockdown.

Psychedelic Hedgehog

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

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.

This is what it's all about Scuid. There are a lot of people out there who don't consider situations such as yours. Stay safe and well.

hotmail.com

Cork2021 wrote: »

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

They're better off opening discretely, that's what others are doing.

alexonhisown

Cork2021 wrote: »

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

I wouldn’t agree with this happening. Too many cases atm to force the government into easing restrictions for all sectors at the same time.

Ficheall

Cork2021 wrote: »

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

They're looking out for their own interests and no-one else's, but they're up-front about it.
The "Regardless of your view-point on the current pandemic.." seems a bit odd.


I'm curious as to the thousands' worth they've spent on the business improvements.


And obviously the personal services industry aren't contributing the majority of cases while they're closed, but I'm very curious as to the "evidence" they have that they aren't a major contributor when they're open..

hotmail.com

Small businesses could just start selling milk and bread to bypass the rules.

hynesie08

hotmail.com wrote: »

Small businesses could just start selling milk and bread to bypass the rules.

How would that bypass the rules? You'd just be selling bread and milk.

hotmail.com

hynesie08 wrote: »

How would that bypass the rules? You'd just be selling bread and milk.

Selling essentials.

Ficheall

Locotastic wrote: »

Plenty will follow suit, tide is turning and people aren't just going to mindlessly follow NPHETs advice any more, when they've left the country wide open yet put the whole country on a seemingly endless lockdown.

That's not really on NPHET though - I'm pretty sure they advised against allowing unfettered travel into the country quite some time ago?

hynesie08

hotmail.com wrote: »

Selling essentials.

And nothing else, so why bother?

SusieBlue

Ficheall wrote: »

They're looking out for their own interests and no-one else's, but they're up-front about it.
The "Regardless of your view-point on the current pandemic.." seems a bit odd.


I'm curious as to the thousands' worth they've spent on the business improvements.

And obviously the personal services industry aren't contributing the majority of cases while they're closed, but I'm very curious as to the "evidence" they have that they aren't a major contributor when they're open..

According to a report released by Fergal Bowers before Christmas, between August 2nd and December 19th 2020 nationwide, there were six outbreaks linked back to personal grooming services during that period of time.

6 clusters over that length of time nationwide is absolutely nothing. They weren’t a contributor and proved they could operate their businesses safely.

There were 10 clusters linked to hotels, 26 linked to retail (including supermarkets), and 18 linked back to pubs trading as restaurants.

On the other end of the spectrum there were 109 clusters linked to hospitals, 101 linked to nursing homes, and 263 clusters linked to schools.

It’s clear where the virus is spreading and where it’s being mismanaged.
It’s quite disappointing that they’re punishing and scapegoating industries that have contributed to a negligible amount of cases, while they continue to drop the ball and neglect the areas that are under their own remit, such as schools, hospitals and care facilities.

How can they possibly say schools are safe with that many outbreaks in them?
We are NEVER going to reach the goal of less than 100 cases a day for the 4 weeks in order to be allowed ease restrictions with the schools open.
We are being set up to fail here.

Lawlz

Cork2021 wrote: »

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

I think it’s an idea worth pursuing and should be attempted across the board. The main issue with it is to try to keep it curtailed to personal services only which is what’s in the letter but if everything opened, that would be a disaster.

RTE don’t report that EU countries have overturned some restrictions purely by people power. Eg Denmark with the mandatory vaccine legislation and other countries that have simply opened up their businesses.

What’s happening is insane. Anyone who feels unsafe should be allowed shield with supports but we need to start being realistic about this virus and realize that younger people rarely get sick enough to warrant a national lockdown. Sometimes I honestly can’t believe what’s happening. It’s lost the run of itself and the more we put up with these kinds of rules on our lives, the more they’ll stay.

I have followed the restrictions all along but I have genuinely had enough now. I went to uni and studied law and am working in the legal field now and I can tell ye all that these restrictions are unconstitutional but will continue until they are challenged. That’s what happened with the schools.

We need to find some way to peacefully get our point across.

What’s happening is NOT RIGHT

mandrake04

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Is mandatory hotel quarantine now in place?

Hotel quarantine is a bit pointless when the entire nation is restricted and have to stay within 5km of home and most services, business and industry is closed.

As it’s been said so many times before the border etc mandatory quarantine is basically unworkable, unfortunately the only alternative is stick to the national lockdown plan.

Ironhead93

Don't think I've ever seen such a dramatic shift in attitudes in the space of a few days, at least from everyone I've talked to in work and almost all the posters on this thread which was, at least a few weeks ago very pro-restrictions. Maybe the camel's back has finally been broken, happened a lot later than I thought it would.

Cork2021

The English are going to offer everyone a vaccine by July.

They'll all be vaccinated while we're still doing the 78-year-olds at a rate of three every day, and Micheál will be telling us just another two weeks and we might be able to to lift the prohibition on buying shoes.

Cork2021 wrote: »

What do people make of this? I’m all for easing restrictions when the time is right and stand by all of these businesses but will this hamper them going forward especially in a future (hopefully not) waves of this..
They need more then Tralee to follow suit on the same day to make the government notice..

The Government has repeatedly lied about the extent and length of the prohibition on business. If there was a concerted national effort, and not just in Tralee, it would likely make a huge difference.

They can't send their guards round to arrest every hairdresser, cafe owner and cobbler in the country.

If I was running this effort, I would go for March 5th, rather than March 1st.

Locotastic

Ironhead93 wrote: »

Don't think I've ever seen such a dramatic shift in attitudes in the space of a few days, at least from everyone I've talked to in work and almost all the posters on this thread which was, at least a few weeks ago very pro-restrictions. Maybe the camel's back has finally been broken, happened a lot later than I thought it would.

They keep telling us how out of reach everything is through the media leaks. People lose the will and resolve, I know some people who would be classed as vulnerable and haven't been out in any major way for the past year - they threw their hat at it this week and said they are done with it.

Too long, unfair in ways and no carrot really when they keep spinning how we can maybe might be 'allowed' to sit outdoors during the summer. They are losing people fast.

TonyMaloney

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

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.

It seems like everyone is clicking like on this post and then continuing to bicker about whatever issue they had in their head previously.

I think it's really beautiful though. I'm not comfortable sounding corny as ****, but it has renewed me. I'm ****ing delighted to sacrifice for people like this.

I'd do it all again. I hope you have a ****ing blast in the coming years x

Wolf359f

b0nk1e wrote: »

The English are going to offer everyone a vaccine by July.

They'll all be vaccinated while we're still doing the 78-year-olds at a rate of three every day, and Micheál will be telling us just another two weeks and we might be able to to lift the prohibition on buying shoes.

Any chance you can show any evidence we'll be vaccinating that slow?
It's nice to contribute to the discussion, not just post **** to elicit a response.

hynesie08

b0nk1e wrote: »

The English are going to offer everyone a vaccine by July.

They'll all be vaccinated while we're still doing the 78-year-olds at a rate of three every day, and Micheál will be telling us just another two weeks and we might be able to to lift the prohibition on buying shoes.

That timeline has them finishing vaccinations at Halloween, which is after us. The rest of your post is rubbish as well.

Ficheall

SusieBlue wrote: »

...

6 clusters over that length of time nationwide is absolutely nothing. They weren’t a contributor and proved they could operate their businesses safely.

There were 10 clusters linked to hotels, 26 linked to retail (including supermarkets), and 18 linked back to pubs trading as restaurants.

On the other end of the spectrum there were 109 clusters linked to hospitals, 101 linked to nursing homes, and 263 clusters linked to schools.
...

Thanks. I'd agree hospitals and care homes have been bigger contributors and have not been well handled, for sure, but they're unarguably essential, so obviously unshutdownable.
It's unclear from the screengrab what businesses are involved - I presume hotels, retail, and pubs will also join in and be encouraged to do so?



But what I don't get is how they can say "X caught it, and was at the hairdresser last week, but she did/didn't catch it at the hairdresser", especially if they were only looking back two days for contact tracing. Presumably if the hairdresser was tested and didn't have it and neither did the other customers, then that answers that.. But if someone has it and has only been to a cafe and then the shop, and another person catches it and had been to the hairdresser and then the shop, so they couldn't have caught it until the shop so couldn't have spread it in the hairdresser....... It sounds like some complex calculating! Did we have any contact tracers posting in here at any point?

Kha1993

Ironhead93 wrote: »

Don't think I've ever seen such a dramatic shift in attitudes in the space of a few days, at least from everyone I've talked to in work and almost all the posters on this thread which was, at least a few weeks ago very pro-restrictions. Maybe the camel's back has finally been broken, happened a lot later than I thought it would.

Shows just how important communication is. With good honest comms and maybe one or two small carrots (5km, golf/tennis), I think they would have got away with 9-10 weeks continued level 5 with decent compliance and a grudging acceptance.

Now there’s anger all round on every side, lots of bitterness and, finally, an acceptance that were not in this together. I haven’t heard or seen anyone today who’s happy with how MM and government have handled this. Zero coviders, pro-lockdowns, open it up, even the social media crowd on Twitter who were constantly cautious of everything. And that might turn things. Politicians, their spin doctors and media are obsessed with social media. If that properly turns, we might see a change in direction of the communication policy at least.

Lawlz

Locotastic wrote: »

They keep telling us how out of reach everything is through the media leaks. People lose the will and resolve, I know some people who would be classed as vulnerable and haven't been out in any major way for the past year - they threw their hat at it this week and said they are done with it.

Too long, unfair in ways and no carrot really when the keep spinning how we can maybe be 'allowed' to sit outdoors during the summer. They are losing people fast.

Absolutely.

I find PR photo ops at vaccination sites, hospitals and GP surgeries and constant attendances in person at unnecessary tv & radio interviews that have also made people realize that there really is different rules for different people.

What happened the stay at home at all costs, limit your social contacts, stay within 5km rules for those implementing them? They simply don’t apply.

That was proved by MM claiming he saw no problem in going to the US and would jump the queue for a vaccination to go. He’s obviously delusional and has no idea what it’s like for people working from home/ unemployed or studying at home 24/7. Even more difficult for those doing it with children. Any time you want to leave the house, you dread being questioned at a check point and this guy thinks he can head off to the US? I honestly think that proved how blatantly out of touch with reality with how this situation is for 98% of the population.

It’s so easy to extend restrictions and tell us all to stay at home and don’t go beyond 5k when they’re attending every day in person, receiving their full salary and have never, ever been busier.

In a way, I’m hoping that it’s almost a good thing that it’s been ridiculously farcicle recently because it’s making people realize that we can’t go on like this and that enough is simply enough now.

political analyst

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9281575/Five-genes-explain-healthy-young-people-die-Covid.html

It's a mystery which has left doctors baffled. But now scientists have found a vital clue – and it could be written in our DNA.

Crucial differences in people's genetic make-up may explain why some are completely overwhelmed by a virus which, given their age and health status, they should be able to fight off without any major complications, while others barely get a single symptom.

'We don't know why these healthy, young people become so ill with Covid but one possibility is that they are genetically predisposed to do so,' says Prof Eleanor Riley, an expert in the immune system and infectious disease at Edinburgh University.

'It may be these youngsters have inherited genetic variations from their parents which puts them at risk.'

Lawlz

Lawlz wrote: »

That was proved by MM claiming he saw no problem in going to the US and would jump the queue for a vaccination to go. He’s obviously delusional and has no idea what it’s like for people working from home/ unemployed or studying at home 24/7. Even more difficult for those doing it with children. Any time you want to leave the house, you dread being questioned at a check point and this guy thinks he can head off to the US? I honestly think that proved how blatantly out of touch with reality with how this situation is for 98% of the population.

I reckon that's when the public support for his lockdown collapsed.

This is a guy who is paid €207k a year, and has never lost a single brass cent as a result of his lockdowns, while he destroys the lives of people on minimum wage without a second thought.

That he thought he could clamber over the old and sick to get a vaccine so he could swan off to America for a photo for mammy's sideboard whilst throwing people in jail for going to a park 5001 metres from home was absolutely shocking.

He's nothing but utter contempt for the people of this country.

I suspect the feeling is mutual.

Multipass wrote: »

My remaining siblings (non healthcare ones, no underlying issues) have appointments for next week over there. They’ll be vaccinated well before our parents here. So damn slow.

The thing that always gets me is that our Government couldn't be bothered to have the first meeting of our vaccination committee until the middle of November.

SeaMermaid

Another virus entering humans - bird flu

https://bnonews.com/index.php/2021/02/russia-first-human-cases-of-h5n8-bird-flu/

WoollyRedHat

mandrake04 wrote: »

Hotel quarantine is a bit pointless when the entire nation is restricted and have to stay within 5km of home and most services, business and industry is closed.

As it’s been said so many times before the border etc mandatory quarantine is basically unworkable, unfortunately the only alternative is stick to the national lockdown plan.

I disagree with that. It's about reducing the movement of people that may represent a transmission risk. It's not bulletproof but it's something. I think it's wrong to say unworkable, in that it presents something absolute, imperfect maybe, but certainly workable once you accept it won't have as much success as say New Zealand. If you had an effective hotel quarantine scheme in December, it would if certainly have reduced the numbers carrying UK Variant as a transmission risk.

Plus on a basic level, the optics of people )lhaving no issue flying into a country with movement restrictions of its residents is awful and undermines compliance indirectly.

Wolf359f

SeaMermaid wrote: »

Another virus entering humans - bird flu

https://bnonews.com/index.php/2021/02/russia-first-human-cases-of-h5n8-bird-flu/

I was actually expecting a different user to bring that up.
No prizes for guessing who!

Interesting they waited so long to contact the WHO after the fact!