Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII Read OP For Mod Warnings

Penfailed · 19-03-2022 8:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118806040#Comment_118806040

I'm assuming you actually meant to say England rather than 'the UK'?

pc7 · 20-03-2022 9:44am

was out in Dublin last night, pub was wedged, a few came in in masks, wore the ordering and then took them off to drink. Like what was the point in wearing them at all? You are in a packed pub, standing room only, ordering with a mask makes no odds?

Im all for people wearing one if they feel safer/feel vulnerable on bus or in shops. But in a packed pub it’s just make believe that it will do anything for you.

Amadan Dubh · 20-03-2022 10:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118808469#Comment_118808469

The personality that still wears a mask and does it in that context (ie not a medically vulnerable person who just wouldn't take it off at all or be in a crowded pub) is just a confused, scared and simple minded one. They are so scared to think or act for themselves, which is evidenced by the dithering between throwing on a pointless mask from their pocket or not, in the context of being in a busy pub and drinking alcohol. Bless their little lamb hearts but the "throw on the mask from my pocket" types just as they go inside a bar or a shop or wherever just look so hapless, I pity them.

_Kaiser_ · 20-03-2022 11:24am

I see Micheal is already undermining the upcoming/inevitable inquiry:

Taoiseach Mícheál Martin does not expect HSE chief Paul Reid or chief medical officer Tony Holohan to be called as witnesses during a Covid inquiry. He said he wouldn’t like to see people having to “mind their Ps and Qs” or to be “looking over their shoulder” during a time of crisis.

He promised the inquiry would be a “comprehensive evaluation” so the country could be ready to act in future pandemics.

Proposals on an inquiry into the State’s handling of the pandemic are set to be brought forward within a number of weeks, he added.

However, health chiefs who played a central role in Ireland’s pandemic response will not be in the witness box at Dublin Castle as part of the inquiry.

“I don’t see it in that light,” said Mr Martin, speaking from Washington DC during his St Patrick’s Day visit.

The Taoiseach said he recognised people in public roles will learn from the pandemic, but it is important they feel capable of acting decisively when called upon to do so in future.

“When a crisis, a once-in-a- 100-year event happens, mistakes will get made. The important thing is to learn from them, particularly public servants, because they’re in the lion’s den from the beginning.”

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/micheal-martin-does-not-expect-tony-holohan-to-be-called-in-to-inquiry-into-the-states-handling-of-the-pandemic-41467122.html

So a review of all the decisions, mistakes, damage that's been done, and the cost of it to society and the economy won't include those who made those decisions? Get out of jail free card for everyone and yet another enormous payday for the lawyers!

Worse than that, Martin actually believes that they shouldn't have (had) any oversight or accountability in the first place - which just confirms the widely held opinion that it was in fact Tony and NPHET who were making the decisions, not merely offering recommendations, and exposes Micheal as the weak, completely ineffective, administrative drone that was (like Enda Kenny) far more concerned with his personal achievement scoreboard than actually leading the country and Government through this.

I shouldn't be surprised or angry really. I even predicted it ages ago. This is Ireland after all. Despite the superficial layer of liberal, democracy, and modernity, it's still the same banana Republic it's always been!

dominatinMC · 20-03-2022 1:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118808469#Comment_118808469

Some people will never miss an opportunity to signal how virtuous they are. Clowns.

PTH2009 · 20-03-2022 1:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118808730#Comment_118808730

True

A few of those who suffered have left a lot of heartbreak behind but nah its grand 'we done well'

Infuriating

Galwayguy35 · 20-03-2022 3:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118804577#Comment_118804577

She probably thinks the blue tick makes her more important than she really is.

Fortunately most people will just ignore fear mongers like her and get on with life.

prunudo · 20-03-2022 6:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118809538#Comment_118809538

The biggest issue i have with these people is their views can gain traction. The media pick up on them and its reporting as being what the public want.

By all means, people can wear masks if they want, they can leave premise that are too busy but please don't make the rest of us life our lives through their eyes.

_Kaiser_ · 20-03-2022 6:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118810409#Comment_118810409

That's a very valid point but I think that unless something dramatically worsens, the Government won't be keen on changing anything, what with the effects of the Ukraine war, and the resurfacing of all the things that were ignored over the last 2 years to deal with.

Plus Martin has had his goal to be Taoiseach fulfilled and he will see himself as having led Ireland out of the pandemic. He'll be fairly quiet for the next 5/6 months I reckon and then attention will shift to Leo's return, or who'll take over for him if that awkward Garda investigation doesn't go quietly away - my money is on McEntee which would be a disaster... not at all because she's a woman, but because she's achieved even less than Varadkar and is even more prone to chasing social media trends and crusading.

But if it happens sure it'll be all about how far we've come (again!), until as happened with Leo, the gloss wears off and we find out there's nothing beneath it after all.

tommybrees · 20-03-2022 6:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118808730#Comment_118808730

Absolutely everyone who was involved in the decision making should be interviewed and accountable for there reasons for why Irish people have had there rights and restrictions imposed upon them for nearly 2 years

Penfailed · 20-03-2022 8:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118804577#Comment_118804577

Nowhere in her post did she state that she wanted the mask mandate back. Didn't stop Boards fury though...

Don't Chute! · 20-03-2022 8:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118810994#Comment_118810994

She didn’t have to say anything at all but that won’t get her any social media attention. Why didn’t she say anything while on the train instead of scurrying off to do it on Twitter?

Penfailed · 20-03-2022 9:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118811186#Comment_118811186

Would you have known about it if it hadn't been highlighted here? I wouldn't. I don't even know who she is.

corcaigh07 · 20-03-2022 10:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118810994#Comment_118810994

Not sure if you're including me on that, the comments to Maia's tweet are what I was referring to.

Penfailed · 20-03-2022 10:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118811559#Comment_118811559

Oh right. That wasn't clear from your post.

_Kaiser_ · 21-03-2022 9:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118810994#Comment_118810994

That's the inference (and the narcissistic "look at me, aren't I responsible" angle of course!), and likewise with many of the replies - one person even dismayed about all the "no maskers" in shops, and no one approaching them to ask they put one on, many others saying they were the only one with a mask wherever it was they were and complaining that others aren't.

The other thing that jumps out from that tweet and replies is the need for validation - "glad I'm not the only one" etc

I've said it many times before, but what this tweet and replies shows is how insecure and needy many Irish people are. There is most definitely a national inferiority complex out there that leads to an excessive level of virtue signalling on social media, and the reason we soak up the worst of the identity politics/culture war nonsense like a sponge - including things that we have/had no real problem with here in Ireland such as America's racial problems, transgender issues etc - and are increasingly trying to impose these issues into everyday life.

The problem is that not everyone lives and dies by twitter crusading and have no interest in having a lot of the nonsense that is leaking into society and the aggressive "you're with us or you're to be attacked and marginalised" attitude that it comes with.

Of course, while the Western world has turned inwards and is consuming itself with this stuff, other "less enlightened" countries are getting on with things and gradually supplanting the West. Even Putin's aggressive war was met with surprise and disbelief because too many ordinary people in the West couldn't get their heads around the idea that not everyone has become as "progressive" as they have - you see it in calls for NATO and even Irish involvement: a complete disconnect from the reality of what that would mean if it happened, but it plays well for Twitter likes and kudos.

TL;DR: Social media can be an occasionally useful tool to get information like the on the ground position in Ukraine for example, or as a way to get breaking news - but the "social" aspect of it often anything but and is increasingly causing more harm than good as the tweet in question shows.

Penfailed · 21-03-2022 11:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118812593#Comment_118812593

You can put that inference on it if you want. No one other than the 'tweeter' knows for sure what was being inferred (if anything). I agree that it's virtue signalling and a need for validation wrapped up together but some people don't seem to want to let it go. That's entirely up to them. Getting annoyed about it on Boards is probably just as bad.

Captain Barnacles · 21-03-2022 3:08pm

I see RTE are fearmongering now over long covid, they really are lower than a snakes belly, they can't stand the way things are returning to normal, they want us all back locked down and masked up.

_Kaiser_ · 21-03-2022 6:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814199#Comment_118814199

You have to remember that the media have made a fortune from Covid-related advertising. It's in their interest to keep it going as long as they can - particularly RTE who are forever complaining about a lack of funds.

is_that_so · 21-03-2022 6:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814199#Comment_118814199

Solutions and treatments should start to emerge for that pretty soon.

Penfailed · 21-03-2022 6:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814199#Comment_118814199

What were they saying about it? I still have symptoms seven months later. Was it fearmongering or were they reporting on something factual? I'd say it was the latter. Maybe if they don't mention it, it's not really happening? Reporting on long covid =/= wanting lockdown and masks.

Red Silurian · 22-03-2022 12:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814199#Comment_118814199

Not a fan of freedom of the press no?

dominatinMC · 22-03-2022 12:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118815284#Comment_118815284

What are your symptoms? Are they debilitating? Genuinely interested, as every single person I know who contacted Covid was perfectly fine after it. Admittedly, that's a small sample size, but long Covid seems to be greatly exaggerated in my opinion.

Penfailed · 22-03-2022 12:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118816878#Comment_118816878

Fúcked up taste and smell. Knackered all the time.

dominatinMC · 22-03-2022 12:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118816970#Comment_118816970

Far from ideal so, hopefully there will be some treatments available for these conditions in the not too distant future.

MilkyToast · 22-03-2022 4:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118816970#Comment_118816970

Cough & fatigue took almost a year to fully clear up for me.

But then, I have had bog-standard post-viral syndrome before. Just like an awful lot of other people.

_Kaiser_ · 22-03-2022 8:58am

The Indo getting in on the panicky scaremongering :

A sharp decline in the wearing of face masks has emerged as Covid-19 is resurging with 63,954 new infections reported over the St Patrick’s festivities.

Hospitals are under extreme pressure with 1,308 patients positive for Covid-19 of whom 49 are seriously ill in intensive care, the highest in almost a year.

It has led to many further cancellations of procedures for waiting list patients due to infection control measures in hospitals in Limerick, Donegal, Kerry and Dublin.

As the Government and health officials ruled out any return to restrictions for now, the ESRI tracker survey – which has been measuring our behaviour for over a year – revealed how swift people were to ditch face masks after they were no longer compulsory from February 28.

It showed a steep drop in the reported wearing of face masks on public transport and in shops in the week after the mask mandate was lifted.

Almost all close contact meet-ups are conducted without a face mask and this is particularly driven by colleagues in the workplace.

The ESRI survey found just two-thirds of shoppers and public transport users were wearing a mask despite the strong public health advice to continue to use them in these settings.

Oh noes! To read all that you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was 2020 all over again! I love how the fact of only 49 in ICU is buried among the doomsday waffling.

But wait, surprisingly there is a bit of positive news :

It showed that wellbeing rose for the first time this year and was at its highest since last summer. This was seen in all age groups but was strongest in people aged under 40.

More people are going out for a walk, run or cycle.

A majority of people judged their mental health as being the same or better compared to before the pandemic and fewer regard it as worse.

Over half of people say their social life is the same or better than it was before the pandemic. The survey found for young people the link between wellbeing and social life is particularly strong.

The extent to which people felt lonely fell significantly

That last sentence in particular really jumps out to me as I've been saying for ages that the effect of the coverage and restrictions has had a very real and damaging impact on people's mental and other health so it's fantastic to read that people are finally starting to come back from this. This to me should be the headline, not more kneejerk articles trying to scare people and finger wagging at the "irresponsible" people getting on with their lives.

But, then the Indo knows that we do love misery and playing one part of society off another so it's understandable I suppose - albeit in the usual twisted way!

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/sharp-decline-in-use-of-face-masks-as-covid-cases-surge-41472401.html