Covid 19 Part XXXV-956,720 ROI (5,952 deaths) 452,946 NI (3,002 deaths) (08/01) Read OP

Tbf, good luck funding those elective surgeries in the future if we keep on doing lockdowns and paying people to sit at home. At some point, you need to accept short term losses in order to protect yourself long term too.

You seem to be missing the point of his proposal also, we will have finished vaccinating people soon, how is it an experiment after that? What's the alternative to opening when we have nobody left to vaccinate? We can't have indefinite restrictions, this is utterly nuts.

For the life of me I cant remember the 3rd lockdown date line !! I get me lockdowns mixed up at this stage

dont forget donegal was locked down from 24th sept 2020 (level 3) 15th october 2020 (level 4 +) .then swamped for 2 weeks before christmas. how did that work out ??

as far as i can see the lockdowns made sweet fa of difference

This looking back does nothing. We need to look at right now and going forward. Learn from the past obviously.

We'll eventually get past this but I certainly don't want to be responsible for somebody dying from covid and I don't want to be the one that gets seriously ill from it either.

We are all fed up of lockdowns, masks etc. but we've done pretty well here despite the many mistakes by our government like the skiers, Italian rugby fans, Cheltenham and last Christmas.

I look at people going to pubs now as lacking intelligence. I've partook in outdoor dining and enjoyed it but I see no need to go into a restaurant or pub with people who I don't know that could have been anywhere the day before and picked up a random variant.

I spent a couple of hours within five metres of a person who tested positive a few weeks ago, we were both wearing masks and didn't speak or contact each other. I had to get tested and was told I was a close contact but because I was vaccinated that I didn't have to self-isolate, just restrict my movements. I checked out other countries and their rules on this and they varied greatly.

We need a uniformed approach to these things throughout the EU.

That’s the beauty of making one’s decision based on your own risk assessment, I’d love nothing more going to a packed pub for a match, I’m currently away in Spain typing this by the pool, completely unvaccinated.

You say you would rather do something once and do it right . So what way is that ? Please expand .

"I look at people going to pubs now as lacking intelligence."

Disgraceful comment.

Hopefully the irony isn't lost on you 😄

I don't understand you, why did you spend a couple of hours with someone yet you didn't talk or make contact with them?

In my post which you quoted I have said I'm vaccinated.

I'm not afraid if anything. I read from the best sources, the honest ones without agendas. They are telling me that it's not safe in bars and restaurants with strangers.

I'm just remaining careful. I walk down the street without a mask. I converse with friends unmasked outside at a social distance.

They have a plan, and it doesn't involve you getting your normal life back.

This "playing into the hands of the anti-vaxxers" is an interesting phrase. You seem to imagine that anti-vaxxers are scheming oligarchs who are waiting to implement some dire form of social control if they get their way. It's a testament to the power of the actual oligarchs that they have managed to make you think this way.

What is safe? You know its not "safe" to drive a car because someone could cross into your lane and end you

Its not "safe" to fly in a plane because it could crash or get shot down

Its not "safe" to eat takeaway because you could get food poisoning

Nothing in this world is truly "safe" or without risk. However we rational people acknowledge that yes there is risk, but its minimal and the benefits outweigh the risk. You as a vaccinated individual are at minimal risk from covid. Even unvaccinated you would probably be at minimal risk.* Vaccinated you are 90% lower than the unvaccinated risk too. So to say that it's not "safe" in bars and restaurants with strangers is genuinely deranged. You have no concept of risk if you believe that but still drive a car or eat takeaway or walk down the street.

*Unless you have a serious underlying condition, your unvaccinated risk from covid is minimal.

I think we'd all like to some flexibility in our approach. Unfortunately we have been following a strict regiment of lockdowns followed by very slow relaxing of restrictions. Right now, even with the incredible effort in the vaccination program, we are still stuck in a very slow releasing of restrictions with poor communication from the government. This leads to frustrations growing. Take MM recently proclamation of a new timeline to give clarity and confidence. Sounds great until you realise it's still 4 weeks away.

Why is this?

Why isn't that plan announced already?

What is the reasoning for delaying this much needed clarity?

And these are only recents examples of the terrible comms coming from Leinster House.