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

We're paying the price for a **** health service.. and there's no political will from any party to fix it. Fúcked.

Interesting. @seamus whereabouts was the guidelines bit pointed out/who pointed it out? (Want to find out more) - thanks!

Have ya been to the pub much? Lots of rational people are enjoying the pub. Good to support them too.

I'm not trying to convince myself. I like going to the pub for a pint and some music or to watch the football.

Looking forward to liverpool game later and few beers. Believe me haha

What the hell has happened us in this country! People are terrified beyond reason. A work friend told me yesterday his parents (both vaccinated) are afraid to leave the house and rarely do and I am sure there are many in their age group like them. They are supposed to be enjoying the latter years of their lives, not like this!

There are people who want everyone vaccinated and permanently wearing masks! A mass psychosis has hit this country to such an extent we are afraid to live as normal. We have robbed youth of their formative years. It is so bad that is actually a taboo to suggest living normally. I am fully vaccinated and I support vaccination but there comes a point in time where we do have to say stop! If we were to reach 100% what then? This government, NPHET and HSE will come out with something else and people will swallow this hook line and sinker. We need to say stop! Enough is Enough!

Nothing has angered me more than our complete and utter myopic response in this country and peoples deference to it. At this stage I firmly believe its not about Covid anymore. The HSE and NPHET (comprised of some HSE members) are arse covering now. Now that we have opened the Pandora's box of lockdowns and restrictions, they are using these to ease pressure on their failings in the health service in this country and I would have hoped that the government would say STOP on Friday 22nd. Its time for NPHET / HSE to do their jobs now and sort out the shambles of a health service. The health service is there to protect us not the other way around! I do not want to live my life with restrictions to protect a poor health service whose leaders are never off the TV preaching to us day in day out about what we are or not doing (e.g. Paul Reid’s `reset` comment). We should not even know who these people are. Yet they will be defended to the last. We should use any and all tools available including antigen testing which when Mr Snake Oil came out with that statement this should have been the time for government to stand up but no we are too stupid to use them unlike other countries. That finished NPHET for me, the most stupid decision. It’s not a silver bullet but it is an extra tool that could have been used instead of sitting on our hands, something better then nothing. I work for one of the largest corporations in the world and if decision like this happened in our business then there would have been an a mass clear out as soon as this happened.

It pisses me off that there are those who continually swallow their nonsense such as we saw this week with the “the great unwashed/unvaccinated” PR campaign from some hysterics in the media which no doubt is being spearheaded in the background by some in government and department of health as a tool of deflection and spin. How they can look themselves in the mirror after all of this! They should be ashamed of themselves. It scares me that these people have such a platform with the last 19 months with no proper debate as to alternative strategies. It scares me still that there are those who are only delighted to facilitate it.

We have fellow citizens calling for those unvaccinated to be left behind and not allowed partake in life with mandatory restrictions! Genuinely frightening (e.g. Joe O Shea on CBLive last night). The same ones are calling those unvaccinated selfish! The most selfish people during all of this are those who continually support restrictions such as those in the media, leaders in NPHET and HSE when they have failed to adequately question and address the continuing failings in the health service despite the level of vaccination in this country!

I believe it will take a serious scandal involving the HSE, NPHET or government to knock Ireland off this Covid mass hysteria horse and put an end to this sh”tshow! Its indefensible what is going on now with the longest lockdown/restrictions in Europe, the level of vaccination uptake not to mention summer when we should have been open before coming into peak respiratory illness season! As for the vaccine passport a total nonsense with our levels of vaccination the only use I can think of is a means to discriminate and coerce as it, to me serves no other purpose. Nightclubs wear masks unless you are dancing ffs!

A very serious adult conversation needs to be had now and should have been had a long time ago about all of this. We all need to exercise personal responsibility. Our immune system is a muscle which needs to be exercised. Hiding, mask mandates, papers/passports and permanent vaccinations will not allow this. I believe it is possible that due to the protracted nature of our prolonged restrictions/lockdowns, numbers have risen as people have begun to mingle more. If I am sick I will stay at home and take the needed precautions to protect myself and others. I don`t need or want to be listening to Tony Holohan, Paul Reid et al anymore speaking down to us as if we were 2 year olds. They need to get off the TV, sh*t or get off the pot and do their jobs or get people who can!

I know people believe it’s a waste of time but we badly need an inquiry into all of this in time for people to really see some of the nonsense we put up with. I mean surely when Leo went abroad to go to a concert that should have been a red flag as to this shambles? I am delighted he went as it proved that the restrictions we had here are nonsense. We have to go abroad to get some bit or normality but need masks, passes for a cup of tea with 92% vaccinated. We are been taken for fools.

It is now as simple as this, you want the vaccine or you don`t both decisions carry personal risk which the individual needs to weigh up. I am happy with mine to have taken it but under no circumstances expect me to marginalise a small sector of society because of a mass hysteria campaign fueled by single issue media hysterical individuals to deflect from a badly run health service. It’s disgusting and is my line in the sand!

It’s at a stage now people want restrictions or mandates only to protect their own fears not Covid! Now this is ultimate selfishness! If you want restrictions or mandates than you carry them out yourself but do not expect me to live my life ruled by your fears.

This insanity has to stop!

Not much gradual about today. Everything is now open, with a bit of token stuff left to be seen to be doing the right thing.

The rules for hospitality will be largely ignored.

It's 10 to a table but I don't see anything about not booking multiple tables, which was the case before.

Think you just need a covid cert to be indoors. Not necessarily vaccination.

What will change is the unvaccinated will gain immunity through infection over time.

I've no idea how long that will take, maybe that's why February was mentioned.

This is it. If they judge that covid certs are so vitally important then why must everybody with their cert inside still be restricted ? We are as vaccinated as we will ever be so how will restrictions ever be dropped ? The only argument you could make is if there was much lower virus circulating in the community but when will that be ? Also is this the future with winters now ? Respiratory season and covid equals lockdown