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

I have a feeling this is going to be nearly all advice rather than rules. Unfortunately businesses get reamed either way. If the public health "advice" is tables of six, then a business isn't legally obliged to follow it, but an insurance company will use any excuse to pull insurance and a public health inspector with a grudge could shut you down.

They're terrified of having the same thing that happened last year, but the conditions are different from every perspective, not just vaccines. There's less "pent up" socialising demand at the moment. Last Xmas pubs opened in December, and everyone knew it was at best a four-week thing. Compressing a whole lot of socialising into the first 3 weeks of December. That doesn't exist any more.

People are genuinely more wary of large indoor parties now. There isn't going to be an All-Ireland final two weeks before Xmas.

More people are sick from non-Covid illnesses this year. This is making people reconsider their choices, and cancelling meet-ups or meeting outdoors. Again because they know they can see the person another time and they aren't going to be in lockdown in January.

I just don't think any of this is being factored. Lumen describes perfectly what they're doing; looking at everyone else and panicking rather than taking stock of what we have.

Realistically they should be pushing the "personal responsibility" line, like they claim to be doing. But they're not. They're issuing "advice", but really specific "advice".

And the problem is that the people involved in the riskiest behaviour ignore the advice anyway, others who already protect themselves, will follow the advice, even though they don't need to. And they'll do it through gritted teeth. Some may choose to say "**** it, I'm protected, why should I continue to restrict myself".

If they asked people to simply consider their actions for the next month - meet outdoors if at all possible, ensure good ventilation if meeting indoors, avoid large crowds indoors, do not meet other people indoors if anyone in your house is sick - that would provide a much more solid message to people without coming across as "punishing" the people who already done everything they can and given everything they can.

While on paper, the issuance of advice is still "personal responsibility", it comes across as being hard rules and not allowing people to make their own judgements. And people are sick of it.

Am i missing something but once again are the NPHET modeling/predictions of where we would be now completely wrong AGAIN??

And again we are at a much lower level than even their most optimistic scenario.

Not that a poll in the indo is anything to go by, but that poll is currently 49/47 in favour of more restrictions

Its like the Fr Ted and the Chinese episode at this stage with "More Drink" being replaced by "More restrictions".

These clowns need to play what is in front of them from here on in, in terms of hospitalization rates, and quit spinning the bottle to see what to do next, because they haven't and never had any iota of an idea what comes next with this thing.

Im not sure of the numbers but did thousands die last Xmas? Let’s be honest if what happened last Xmas was the worst case then with vaccines it must be a lot less this year even if we stayed open.

The only people panicking are the clowns in government

No idea, I meant thousands between them both, i'll reword that.

Have they only been hearing about the NPHET letter since 8 am? Were they not watching TV3 last night?

Sorry wasn’t having a go at you. It’s just people see last Christmas as some sort of end of world scenario. Last Xmas was the same as this Xmas we were protecting the health service from been over run and we made a mess of it.

But we need to get some perspective if what happened last Xmas was to happen again we would have the protection of the vaccines so we shouldn’t have the same outcome.

Numbers are already dropping and you can bet more people are socialising this year with vaccination and more of the economy open.

So and I’m not advocating this but if we were to carry on like the run up to Xmas last year we already have an idea of the worst case outcome in the real world as we did it last year without vaccination.

So let me get this straight?

We are given a vast array of predictions from mr Snake Oil based on his modelling and asked to curtail our activities to to lower hospital numbers etc.

We do all that, not only do we do all that we actually end up wayyyyy way lower than what Mr Snake Oils modelled as the most optimistic scenario.

However still not enough for NPHET who have a meeting, leak everything to the media before even sending the letter to the government who rather than being rational are now doing the political equivalent of bending over it seems.

This is madness, like at this satge no one can be under any illusions as to where the power in the country is falling, we are basically being run on the whims of one group of people headed up by someone who has a history of ........ oh sorry i almost forgot, not allowed talk about saint Tonys past on here.

This is sick.

This is I think a major drive as well behind restriction acceptance. I personally know a lot of people who work from at home fully paid, no commute, no child care, have people over not for parties just visits, and are happy to have there life restricted for a couple of months of the year and then go on holiday but new car home improvements with the money saved. I really only heard them complain when schools closed and they had the kids at home 😂😂😂😂

Wtf is the messaging here.

"Go get your vaccine so you can travel and enjoy indoor hospitality"

Actually you still need a professional test to travel and actually we are closing hospitality as its too dangerous.