Coronavirus in ROI/NI part 2

[Zantedeschia]

Following on from the other thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/craicnet/3834552-Coronavirus-in-Ireland-N-Ireland?pg=40&order=

And yesterday from Dr Scally

Lifting the Lockdown? @WHO says a criteria for easing restrictions should be the capacity, "to detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact". Look at the disparity in testing facilities between UK and Ireland. #coronavirus #COVID19

I saw you posted that on the other thread - I commented that it's even worse than it looks, as the comparison between city populations (Dublin 1.4 million, Belfast 280,000) and the fact that Dublin is an international transport hub whereas Belfast is (don't all yell at me) little more than a provincial airport, means that NI should be a lot better off than Ireland.

I also think that the Belfast figures included hospital deaths, and known care home deaths, but may not include all nursing home deaths and probably don't include any deaths in the community outside of hospitals/care homes. Whereas Dublin seems to be actively looking for and counting every one they can, so that they can follow up contacts.

Arlene is plummeting in my estimation - and she didn't start off very high.

Maybe I’m a bit sensitive, I think my dh did develop “notions” in the last 18 months when his business took off so maybe it felt like a personally directed sneer. We’ve both quite enjoyed this simpler life before I have to go back to work (have to cut my maternity leave short) and I’m very glad to have a job but that little knot of dread at the back of my neck is affecting me more than I thought. I don’t think the politicians are doing a bad job either but my (numerous) vulnerable loved ones are at the mercy of Boris and Arlene so I can’t take too much comfort from it...

We are'nt too bad- I am on the pandemic unemployment. Will have a job but less money definately when lockdown lifts. Also DH workin from home . No childvare costs either. 99 % of me is fine .1% freaks out everynow and again. The country cannot afford the €350 a week !! Its v tough on so many. I just Tg we have a home.

The country can afford the €350, we as a country are in very good standing financially with the international markets and we can borrow money at a very low interest rate.

The NTMA has something like 18 billion in hand so borrowing isn't a problem. Even the hardcore, pessimistic economists say that. So economically we can withstand this.

I mean obviously we will be paying for this in the years to come, but I think a lot of people are worrying that the government is going to run out of money to finance this, and they're not. So we can cross that off the list of things to stress about.

What we really, really need to do, is stick to the social distancing, especially now as it's getting harder. We need to keep that reproduction number down. It's low, and the cases out in the community are low, and that's how we will get out of this.

It was amazing at the outset that suddenly there was a load of 'money' to finance a lockdown. My dd works for the hse in a building that leaks, with ancient IT, can't work from home because of ancient IT, and has to spend hours fighting for basic equipment for very disabled children. Suddenly there seemed to be a magic money tree.
Like consumer programmes say, if something seems to good to be true it usually is. I'm not sure what the future will bring for the economy, in short to medium term. Or for households, beyond the dull existence we had ten years ago.
So we spend hours here discussing our car tax, because we can choose three or six months! (Or why bother since we go to the supermarket once a week, and are unlikely to be stopped...)

I suppose that's a political issue @eggandonion. I can see how frustrating it is for people who have been struggling to suddenly see this money available and wondering where the hell its been for the last few years when there are so many places it could have been spent, the HSE and housing among them.

I am no apologist for the last government but right now we're damn lucky they were saving the budget surplus and not spending it, even though there were lots of things the could have/should have spent it on.

FG were always famous for their 'fiscal rectitude', saving for a rainy day. Well here's that rainy day, and it's a big one.

Sure is, and the last recovery was amazing. I think preparing for Brexit meant some finance was in the piggy bank. I hope when the new government is formed there is some degree of unity about the economic way ahead, some issues have come to light in unequal healthcare, homelessness, asylum seekers that need to be dealt with even if there aren't many votes.

I wonder what would happen FF and FG if aren't able to cobble together a government? It must have crossed FG's mind that if they had waited to call the election until May which I think was the deadline that the result would have been very different!

How could we even hold an election now? The logistics would be very tricky!

I was wondering that myself Chartreuse. I can’t see how it would be possible to hold an election until vaccine/treatment, so 18 months away. At any stage will FF decide it’s not possible with FG, and approach SF? After all, FF ruled out coalition with both parties pre-election so they could change their mind as easily on SF as FG.

They could maybe use the electronic voting machines? That was some fiasco.

I don't know that FF and SF could realistically take over now. I may be wrong, but I can't see Micheal Martin managing this crisis very well, and Mary Lou would find it hard to play second fiddle to him. In fact, I don't think she wants to share power now, I think SF feel they might win outright at the next election and it would scupper them if they got into power and didn't manage to push through any of their bonkers promises.

I think everyone will carry on, let Leo take the brunt of this, mutter vague criticisms under their breaths but not actually make any decisions about government, and we'll have a new election this time next year. I have no idea who will win that though. Probably another hung Dail.

I read chartreuse "political issue" as "that'd be an ecumenical issue" . Too much Father Ted.

Is there an equivalent of RIP.ie for Northern Ireland ?

A lot more people out and about in my Dublin suburb.

The magic money tree worries me too. We went into this with one of the highest debt per capita ratios in the developed world. I’ve been waiting months for psychiatric services for a child with suicide ideation and I absolutely dread what will happen to our woefully underfunded services in the future when the money is diverted into paying off interest on these massive loans.
And as much as the govt are doing a stellar job at the moment there is still a case to answer for the early containment failures - the Italian tourists, and the Cheltenham crowd.
We’re all united fighting a common enemy at the moment- something that brings the Irish spirit to the fore, and we’re great at laughing our way through hard times. But it’s going to be tough.

Funeraltimes.com is the northern equivalent.

Disability and mental health services save lives, but have been woefully neglected. And fundraising by the voluntary sector is great, but it should be for extras, not core services.

I think it's about time they thought about opening up the medical/psych systems, remaking appointments and if they aren't using the private hospitals for Covid patients make them take some of the postponed urgent operations.

The hospitals should open up before the schools, and I don't see why they can't control queues and manage infection in hospitals.

You have my sympathy Barbararara, I've dealt with Cahms and psych services with a teenager and it's very frustrating.

@Bedroomdilemma I am really sorry that my comment upset you.
I was trying (and obviously failing) to be funny - by trying to add to the previous comment by NewAccount about notions.

I am self-employed. My own thriving business died the week that schools closed. I have no income apart from the Covid payment. God knows when I will next have a client.

I am a single parent without any financial or practical support. I've been stuck home, far from (ill) elderly parent, with 3 kids, one of whom has additional needs and struggles with the lack of school support and routine.

I am trying to keep my head above water with humour which obvs went astray.
Without Zoom, I wouldn't speak to another adult most days...and even with that I feel invisible. My circumstances mean that I havent been able to join any of the local groups like GAA or church. So there's no-one that I know to smile and nod at when I walk the dogs, or queue at the supermarket.

The LEO have been fantastic with support, but I'm all trained out now, and just want to get on with working and earning for myself.

My comment wasn't directed at you or anyone else. The lack of any real life adult interaction for the last 2 months probably means that I've lost social skills.

Totally agree new corona, like in 6 months the Cancer diagnoses made late because of this will be catastophic. The hosps are empty. A and E .empty. surplus staff walkin around. I Have seen t his myself
C'mon open the country
.Leo is treading. V v fine line here. People want work and an avoidance of a depression ! Heard lotsa people young and old saying will take their chances with Covid. I know silly but its going to be around for a very long time. Are we all to be poverty stricken !!! Vulnerable have to cocoon but the economy needs to start
Like 114 million on empty private hosp per month !!

I’m sorry Earl, as I said, I think I just had a bit of over sensitive freak out. Hopefully we’ll all be out the other side of this very soon, no adult contact sounds very tough.

The deaths were down yesterday but the new cases were very high, over 900. I was thinking about this at 3am (my sleeping pattern is awful at the moment) on Monday they were going to test everyone in nursing homes, I wonder is this the reason for the spike in cases?

I did a little bit of research using Worldometer figures last night, I don't know how accurate they are but what I got from them was that Norway had the lowest cases per million, the lowest number of deaths per million and the highest number of tests per million of the population.
The countries I looked at / checked were:
US
UK
Ireland
Spain
France
Italy
Germany
Norway
Sweden
Denmark.

@chartreuse I was wondering that too. I know what you mean about sleep. I'm not doing enough to be able to sleep right. I'm still exercising but most of my day is spent sitting down.
This morning I even wondered why I was bothering to get up, it's the same thing every day. I need to start doing a course and lesson plans for next year to keep me busy. If I can be bothered.

I read a lot, I have a friend who keeps asking me what she should read next. I can't concentrate, i watch rubbish telly. DD2 keeps telling me the stats, but they all test differently. Seamus Coffey and others on twitter discussing the RIP.ie notices makes most sense to me.