Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII Read OP For Mod Warnings

timmyntc · 17-12-2021 12:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336471#Comment_118336471

"If case numbers and hospitalisations are dropping dramatically in December, why will they keep restrictions?"

The current announcement shows there is no rhyme or reason for their decisions - they are not science based. All metrics in this country are looking good - hospitalisations have been declining for weeks, cases are stable, boosters are increasing every day. Their only justification for more restrictions is out of "an abundance of caution".

They have no proof omicron will be more severe (evidence from SA points to the opposite), yet the choose to believe the worst case scenario is at hand and have no problem throwing away our freedoms "out of caution".

Fool me once shame on me, but after the 4th? time, I wont be fooled again

astrofool · 17-12-2021 12:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336504#Comment_118336504

What reason and why then? October 2020 we didn't have vaccines and then had most of our cases and deaths happen as soon as everything opened up again that led to a 5 month lockdown while everyone got vaccinated.

If cases and hospitalisations are dramatically dropping in Spring, why would they continue restrictions? For whose benefit?

Quags · 17-12-2021 12:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336338#Comment_118336338

Schools as we know are a major source of cases but that's about it, no deaths etc so everywhere expect schools get the restrictions. Think it was the same with Leisure centres also having hardly any outbreaks before they introduced certs

PHG · 17-12-2021 12:53pm

I really do feel sorry for everyone at home. What gets me though is the sense of scaremongering in the Irish media and I see it in some friends and family.

We are travelling back for nearly a month over the Xmas period. We are double vaccinated and will get the booster. We have started to isolate from today and will also get an antigen test before flying. What gets us is that we have booked some trips and touristy stuff for the trip back (my gf is not Irish) and when we were back last year could not do much with lockdown, so we had big plans this time around.

Seeing the news this morning has us like wtf. Last night, we went for dinner in Sweden, showed our cert, met our friends after in a pre booked table and no issue. We barely talk about covid here and it is refreshing. Now, I do believe covid is dangerous and 90% of my friends have had it and some been quite unwell. My gf is an asthmatic and we were very careful at the start, but since being vaccinated we are living our life, just being cautious more than anything else.

Home just seems exhausting, I have friends who send me updates about covid (I don't read them) and in the last few days friends and family have started cancelling me to meet them when I'm back because of the fear of dying. Some have asked me am I sure about travelling as might not be safe as my parents are elderly. I haven't seen some of them in 2.5 years and you would swear we are coming back to Ireland with some disease (even though we are vaccinated and will test negative).

We have restaurants and places booked but now we are really considering coming back early. I love my parents and spending time with them very much but sitting on the sofa or in a hotel room after 5pm for a month (if it happens) is just not worth spending our vacation on and more money lost to the tourism industry at home. If these restrictions are put in place, it makes a joke out of the cert!

_Kaiser_ · 17-12-2021 12:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336415#Comment_118336415

Covid effects are mild or non-existent for the majority of people in this country. Many don't know they even have it unless tested.

The only ones who are at any real potential risk are the elderly, the infirm and the immunocompromised and it's these groups that should be restricting their movements, taking precautions and following their GP's advice - as in fairness they probably already do against a whole host of things far more dangerous to them.

What's happened here though is an approach of trying to force everyone to feel as worried as that group and trying to make them live under restrictions to protect them against something that (as per the numbers) is no real threat to them anyway.

That's the official line anyway. The real reason is to deflect from the point that 20 billion a year is squandered by the same people making these "recommendations" in a health service that is on the brink every winter and can't handle even a modest increase on the most minimal demands.

That's what we're protecting - the positions and paycheques of those who have mismanaged the HSE for decades.

namloc1980 · 17-12-2021 12:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336471#Comment_118336471

Hospitalisations are dropping dramatically now - down 40% in the last few weeks and yet we're ramping up the restrictions.

robfowler78 · 17-12-2021 12:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336565#Comment_118336565

certainly starting to look that way

Luxembourgo · 17-12-2021 1:02pm

Imagine where we would be without masks.....

17-12-2021 1:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336471#Comment_118336471

If they didn't drop all restrictions during the Summer, what makes you think they're going to drop them come the Spring?

As for your question, the vaxx passport will be kept going unless there's huge nationwide resistance/non-compliance. Without saying too much (I respect the mods gotta mod), the vaxx passport will bridge into the new system and digital euro (as aforementioned by Christine Lagard, President of the European Central Bank.)

To prove my point, let's make a small bet of, say.. 1k? Vaccine passports, "green pass" etc gone by Summer next year and the money is yours. When they're not, I'll take your 1k and give it to charity. We can do it over blockchain for transparency. Deal?

Hellrazer · 17-12-2021 1:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336287#Comment_118336287

Its a valid form of protest.

They told us we`d be out of this if we had high vaccination levels.
They said they wouldnt close anything they had reopened.
They want to have 1.5 million boosters administered before Xmas.

Yet with the stroke of a pen Nphet can put in more restrictions.

So why bother with getting boosters if we as a population are getting **** all benefit from it.

I may as well be sitting at home non boosted until covid runs it course.

BTW -Im fully vaccinated so I dont disagree with vaccines.

astrofool · 17-12-2021 1:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336640#Comment_118336640

They didn't drop them in Summer because they were still vaccinating, they should have opened in August but they didn't because they didn't want to have to rollback restrictions. The current changes are happening because of the rapid growth of omicron and the assumption that it is as severe but has a higher transmission rate, if it's less severe, then hospitalisations should keep on dropping and restrictions dropped along with them.

I don't believe they're necessary as I'm hopeful that Omicron is a lot less severe.

But that's the data being worked off.

I'd do 50 for a bet, whichever charity, can post the donation, passes gone internally by July 31st (they'll still be needed for international travel). I'm betting against there being any new significant variants between now and then of course :)

17-12-2021 1:11pm

It's one of the most transparent stunts these chancers have played yet.

Leak the news of a nonsensical 5pm close
Let the people get annoyed
announce later that you have listened to advice and will agree to keep pubs and the entertainment industry open until 10pm
caveat is that you need your vaccine cert updated with a booster...

timmyntc · 17-12-2021 1:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336686#Comment_118336686

50 for a charity of your choice if vaccine passports/restrictions on unvaccinated are gone internally in Ireland by July 31st 2022

DLink · 17-12-2021 1:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336674#Comment_118336674

We need to hit their statistics, it's the only message we can send seeing as we won't take to the streets.

I'm fully vaxxed, but I'm not going to take the booster, not now anyway. I only got vaxxed for travel, but given that the rules around travel are changing to vaxxed AND test, or just test, why bother with the vaccine when we're getting back to requiring a test no matter what your vaccination status is?

A few weeks back a friend was laughing his hole off at the non-vaccinated not being allowed into pubs, was delighted to have the pass and said "fúck them all".... Very temped to text him and ask him how the pass is working out for him now.....

Richard Hillman · 17-12-2021 1:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336471#Comment_118336471

The way I see it panning out, the carrot for younger people to get vaccinated was to get into pubs/restaurants. If pubs are closed during January and February, what will be the carrot for U30s to get the booster? Maybe keeping them closed and saying get the booster and we'll reopen the pubs will be that carrot.

Quags · 17-12-2021 1:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336688#Comment_118336688

I will be shocked if this does not happen. MM & LV will think they have somehow saved xmas for people

robfowler78 · 17-12-2021 1:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336674#Comment_118336674

It’s the lack of media or opposition calling them out also

Vicxas · 17-12-2021 1:18pm

https://twitter.com/LeoVaradkar/status/1471800732953288707?s=20

This mealy mouthed shite would make you angrier, he doesnt give 2 **** about the hospitality sector

17-12-2021 1:19pm

Denmark is one place they would be modelling on. Most recent case numbers are over 8000 in a day.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/omicron-surge-in-denmark-and-uk-sends-warning-to-ireland-and-rest-of-europe-1.4754994

astrofool · 17-12-2021 1:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336717#Comment_118336717

Honestly, the booster is probably coming too soon for the under 50's, though we'll see what 2nd dose vs. 3rd dose data looks like for Omicron, if there is a revised vaccine for March/April for Omicron (and it hasn't burned out anyway), I don't see uptake being that high in younger age groups, we've been "off-cycle" with a lot of these, a booster program in September/October along with Flu would probably be most effective, trying to get another jab done in Spring/Summer makes it very messy and antibodies will be waning just as you want them plentiful.

17-12-2021 1:22pm

The leaking, of course, is to test public reaction. See if and what they can get away with imposing without civil unrest.

mightyreds · 17-12-2021 1:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336728#Comment_118336728

3.5k cases roughly with 28 admitted to hospital whats it like at the minute here?

M_Murphy57 · 17-12-2021 1:25pm

Multiple reports that these restrictions are needed so "schools can open". Yet again these pricks are threatening us that, essentially, if we insist on drinking alcohol they will remove our childrens education!

Fuck every single last one of these pricks.

_Kaiser_ · 17-12-2021 1:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336760#Comment_118336760

And the reason they're saying that is because it's the one thing Micheal Martin committed to when he took office (reopen the schools and keep them open).

He's fixated on it as it's about the only thing he's achieved - aside from his primary and overriding goal of becoming Taoiseach that is.

the kelt · 17-12-2021 1:36pm

You have to ask the question

Whats the only scenario where NPHET will be happy or even content?

Its basically looking now like its zero COVID is their policy but thats not possible for our island so restriction forever really until COVID disappears.

That literally looks like the plan cos theres no semblance of any other plan

Downlinz · 17-12-2021 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336781#Comment_118336781

It's complete insanity that we've reached an extent of shutting down hospitality, sport and travel in order to maintain children's ability to make a few christmas cards and watch Home Alone in those pointless end of term days where the teacher is just running down the clock most of the time.

The lack of desire among parents for kids to attend those days is so great that most principals reckon less than half will even attend next week. Yet Micheál still insists on opening them, it's crazy.