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

I agree, I've stocked up on toilet paper just in case and I'm currently in an anticipatory state of holding firm.

The point is that people should be given that choice by informing parents of a close contact . You choose to send them to school which is entirely your decision but others might have very different circumstances and choose differently

If parents are informed of the close contact to a positive case they can choose how to deal with it based on their own families circumstances

For example a vulnerable child in the home or elderly parent etc

PCR equipment implies testing for a wide range of potential antigens or infections - which is exactly what youd do if you had an outbreak of a mystery infectious illness.

Also it's not like the PRC have exactly been open or transparent regarding their response to covid, they could have had the PCR testing capability for covid long before January,

Sure, but you can't know it's COVID unless you're testing for it and there was no test until January 2020, one that emerged soon after the first genome was made available. When it started is unknowable especially with the Chinese cooperation and we will probably never find out.

I'm talking driving in an out. but that must be same eh. How crazy that no restriction going out, but Ireland still carrying on with restrictions coming in, wtf . I can understand it for others, but for Irish going in and out its not on.

Half-decent article here on it:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-04/china-pcr-purchases-spiked-in-months-before-first-known-covid-cases-firm-says

Short Answer: PCR equipment purchasing was increasing massively since about 2014 anyway, and China was dealing with other outbreaks in late 2019 that might account for the increase.

Basically, it's impossible to tell. The evidence is inconclusive/circumstantial enough to possibly be coincidence. We'll never know the truth here really unless we see the PROC collapse and the new regime become more open with the world.

We're really nearly there says Nolan.

There's too much optimism on here and everywhere else. Too much optimism is worrying. Too much self congratulation from the authorities. All racing back to the office even if there is no need to, so we can "collaborate".

And seamus says there is nothing to be concerned about.

All this adds up to a miserable Christmas. You heard it here first. I'm gonna get to the pub as often as possible up to then!

Keep digging!

They showed them trump and it still didn't work, these people are idiots, unfortunately a large section of the US population are unable to make adult decisions and being encouraged by idiot GQP "leaders" trying to grift them.

The only way to do it is to enforce it by law, asking them nicely and rolling out american football stars doesn't work.

Fauci is the expert, they don't understand experts, so the pool of people who can convince them is very small.

So the at risk pople we were preventing spreading it to are no longer at risk... So spread away...

Nobody is celebrating NZ moving on from Zero Covid though?

There seems to be some strange snarky comments, especially on twitter, on this subject over the past two days. That somehow people are celebrating NZ's 'defeat' in this regard despite having 27 total deaths. They're missing the point so spectacularly that I'm wondering are they doing it on purpose.

What this is, is the final inarguable proof that it was a ridiculous strategy for Ireland that had no chance of working, the increased transmission of Delta notwithstanding. Despite most people realising this, it wasn't as if this was some sort of fringe idea. Our likely future leaders in government adopted this as their strategy of choice, as did others in opposition. The misguided public momentum behind it led to MHQ, causing hundreds of Irish citizens abroad to miss funerals of loved ones, a 2k fine for a trip to the airport and was the pressure behind a host of other draconian restrictions, including the reimposition of the 5k limit.

So while NZ accepting that the strategy no longer works isn't a cause for celebration, the humiliation of the likes of ISAG and the death of their dangerous idea absolutely is. Seeing their buzzword argument go up in smoke, and their final descent into the realms of laughing stock is both satisfying and positive for the future. An investigation into their funding and perhaps charges for their aim of deliberately 'spreading fear' would be fantastic next steps.

I remember pre vaccines when ireland was locked down due to 50 in icu. I found it surprising that such a low number was considered too much for the healthcare system. Now it's more than that and all restrictions are being dropped?