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

Whataboutery. The failings of other countries' governance does not excuse our own.

Also Spain are allowing 40% capacity in all stadiums - the blanket rule in Ireland is still 200 at events (including sports games). The gaa games are exceptions to this - all other sports events are capped at 200. So your link just proves how backward we really are.

Exactly right. MM seemed perplexed that people weren't "clear" on the path forward and as far as he was concerned the guidelines were clear. Yet, he felt the need to announce yet another roadmap off the Merrion Hotel debacle. Turns out the guidelines are not clear and people have no idea when we are getting out of these restrictions.

My own take is that have always had a plan in the background but realized people would find it so unpalatable that they decided the best course of action was to drip feed information instead.

I would be surprised if we see all restrictions lifted this year. They will leave children's indoor activities closed to the very last. Sure, they've given zero thought to children to date and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Social distancing isn't going anywhere either and concerts and large events won't be tolerated unless stupid SD measures can be maintained, even for fully vaxxed people or young children.

His new "roadmap" will provide details for the next round of easing with 6 week gaps between measures to ensure it'll be after Christmas before they are all gone.

I children don't have anyone lobbying for them like the Hotel Federation or the vintners so as you say it is easy to leave them to last. Archbishop McQuaid would be whooping with joy at the social distancing measures and the restrictions on night life. I would say this area is were the pressure will come next.

They must have dug out his memoirs for a lot of these current measures. No mingling, must stay seated, cover your face when walking through an establishment, government pass to allow you in. He'd be creaming himself if he knew these were this was the "new normal" embraced and encouraged by a large majority of the country.

I am certainly not an apologist for NPHET but those optimistic scenario projections were on the basis of indoor hospitality reopening on early July.

What we now know is that delaying by those 3 weeks or so and the intensive rate of vaccinations in that period has put us in far better stead.

Hopefully as we get even more vaccinated and we can review what happens in the UK there can be a more intensive reopening in the next 4 - 6 weeks.

Yep and because of them the Government panicked and held back a few restrictions

Starting to become very tried and annoyed with these esp with so many of the adult population fully vaccinated

So we can't go back to normal because of a scary variant out there still to be discovered but is coming ?

Our health system is a shambles and lockdown is only way around it to protect from been overwhelmed ?

Hospital cases still nudging up but fairly slowly.

They generally don't drop after a weekend til the Monday evening or even Tuesday. The Monday am numbers are generally some of the highest each week

Exactly right, they could do any of those measures or just apply some basic human decency. They hide behind "guidelines" and "regulations" and "procedures" when it suits them. The truth be known the just lack any sort of humanity to actually enforce this. It's barbaric, cruel, and should never ever be forgiven for it.

I thought ICU cases jumped by 9 but it was just hospitalisations.

Cases still climbing but it's Monday numbers

Don't forget these are summer figures were the virus doesn't spread as much. Wait until September or October and it will be mayhem. We need to act now and I don't mean another lockdown but it seems it's the only way our government knows how to fight the disease

You see what you don't seem to understand is how long it takes for scientists to really get to know a virus. It's only through years of study, of data of research that they finally get to grips with a virus. We are like 20 months in on this thing, there's still new information coming out about it.

Do your comparison to something so simple as driving a car isn't even relevant.

As for driving a car, for years there was no limit about how much you could drink before driving, them there was a limit which allowed you drink plenty, then less and now almost zero. Same applies to speeding. This came about after years of study and data at the cost of many lives.