Coronavirus ROI/NI part 3

[YoungsterIwish]

The 3rd thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/craicnet/3874978-Coronavirus-in-ROI-NI-part-2?pg=40

Well that was a communication fiasco, utter confusion. So Dd can't get the Luas to her friends tomorrow, but DS can get the train to Cork for a staycation.

So we can…

• Go to Mass but not meetings.

• Play football but not watch it.

• Eat in pubs but not have Sunday lunch with parents & siblings.

• Attend a wedding with strangers but not have a BBQ with neighbours.

• Send the kids to school but not go to work. #Covid_19

What a shambolic press conference. To think we laughed at Boris and his mixed messages before he got it himself and tonight Mehole was terrible.

I just heard that only 50000 tests have been carried out in the last week in Ireland. A week! That's only just over 7000 a day.

I'm over in Ireland from the UK for another 10 days (yes we quarantined for 2 weeks in a flat and only waved at our relations once from afar). I wish I was back in London as I actually feel safer there.

Well I’ll still be taking the Luas on Saturday as planned as I’ve no access to the car. The guidelines are nonsensical, why would anyone heed them?

They’ve fallen over themselves to ban things that won’t piss off business too much, but will achieve precisely nothing.

We'll all just have to use our own common sense and risk assess every situation, which is fine, but unfortunately we have seen that a lot of people don't have any common sense, which is why we need guidelines.

Honestly I was no fan of Leo pre Covid but we really need him back, and quickly

I don't think they have really thought it through...good article here on the practicalities of no GAA spectators. Alienating many for no gain.

roscommonherald.ie/2020/08/18/wheres-the-logic-in-banning-spectators-from-matches/?fbclid=IwAR3ws4QD_yYJ59M42EfSohSYaxkD7xRIvUp1j0jX0Q-NNv5YQ6RmnQx_aek#.Xzxjex7hQ0N

And staycations are still encouraged

I am also now confused. I do think getting schools back should be priority, but they really need to get more busses on routes if you can only have half the number of people on them (also why are the seats you can sit on all in one row, surely they should zig zag, 1st row right seat, 2nd row left seat, 3rd row right seat etc?). Same for the Dart; a lot of them are much shorter than usual, depending on the time of day you go, why?!

I really want to get back to running the youth group I lead and was very hopeful, but 15 is just not a large enough number (I have to have 3 adults as part of that).

I think it's important to keep things in perspective. Cases were bound to increase as people started to mix and travel around a bit more as has happened in other countries. How many of these cases are serious? How many are mild or asymptomatic? Yes protect the old and vulnerable, get control of clusters and sources of outbreaks such as factories, parties and pubs breaking the rules but please stop terrorising the entire population over something that for the majority will not be a serious risk. I see my parents and relatives absolutely shadows of themselves with fear of a possibility that the virus is going to get them if they are out for a walk down a country lane or pop to the local shops for a loaf of bread. My once active outgoing dad who's missing socialising and GAA is now a prisoner in his home with nothing to look forward to. I can see him age before my eyes and I know why. This is the biggest risk is not the virus but our reaction to it.

Absolutely. There are fewer than 30 people hospitalised with CV in the entire country right now. For context.

24 in fact. Down from 29 yesterday.

Excellent piece by Pat Leahy in today's IT

Differences over pandemic strategy go to the heart of Government (via @IrishTimes) www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/differences-over-pandemic-strategy-go-to-the-heart-of-government-1.4333527

To give other context through, while the number of cases in hospital are down, I know of two men in their early 50's who's lives have been changed completely by the virus.
One had a stroke and the other is left with chronic fatigue.

Both active guys, ex-hurler and a cyclist. Both fathers of teen kids.

So, the need to protect each other hasn't gone away and I dont think that's overreacting.

I do think the current Govt's communication strategy isn't great.
How much of that is Covid-fatigue setting in, and how much is missing Tony Holohan, and how much is the current leadership?

I do think the current Govt's communication strategy isn't great.
How much of that is Covid-fatigue setting in, and how much is missing Tony Holohan, and how much is the current leadership?

I completely agree Earl, the communications strategy dropped off a cliff when the government was formed. Someone I know in the dept of the taoiseach said it immediately reverted to old style ff wrangling as soon as they were in the door (christ, Jim O'Callaghan is making a leadership run already). The cynic in me is hugely impressed with Leo - he played an absolute blinder. He communicated consistently and clearly and left just as the wheels were bound to come off, no matter who was leading the efforts.

I think the latest guidelines are a huge overreaction. As PPs have said, most of the latest people with the virus have little or no symptoms. It's not going away, we're going to have to learn how to live with it, while minimising the risks. We need to somehow educate the youngsters having house parties etc, contain localised outbreaks, reinforce the social distancing advice and remind everyone to wear a mask. I don't think anyone has the will to endure another total lockdown- people just won't do it.

I don't think anyone has the will to endure another total lockdown- people just won't do it.

Even these latest restrictions are already being ignored by people. No one sees the point of them - they aren’t fixing the real issues.

Poor communication, patronising comments and finger pointing. They need lessons from Leo and Simon in communicating. But what do us "lay people" know .

Almost half the recent cases have been in Direct Provision (directly the responsibility of the govt) or factories (it's always been the responsibility of the govt [HSA inspectors/HSE environmental health officers] to inspect these). And they are known high risk environments. And the inspections weren't happening at a level they should have.

So now I can't watch my 6 year play a match?

Clara Lara and Eagles Flying closed yesterday because of the max 15 outside gathering. But the Zoo and Tayto Park are still open? I can't have my immediate family to visit together but I can head to Tayto Park or the Zoo for a day with 50 of my closest friends?

People need to see some sort of logic and reasoning behind these decisions. Saying you can't do X but it's ok do Y when Y is obviously just as or more risky just gets people's backs up and makes them less likely to comply.

Does anyone think that NI is heading in the right direction for a full lockdown? I really hope it doesn’t come to that

@mummabear1967 but not schools they are determined they will stay open no matter what. I would have felt so much better with the half capacity school model at least it would have allowed for some sort of social distancing..
I do think we are heading the direction of another lockdown though.

[quote Smurf123]@mummabear1967 but not schools they are determined they will stay open no matter what. I would have felt so much better with the half capacity school model at least it would have allowed for some sort of social distancing..
I do think we are heading the direction of another lockdown though. [/quote]
It’s terrifying. I don’t know whether to be more worried about the virus itself or the effects of this on the economy, god knows how many more jobs will be lost.

Yes, I can’t believe Peter Weir is making it a full time return rather than the originally planned phased return to school.

But not surprised, the mess he has made with the A levels & GCSEs is disgusting.

Ronan Glynn is doing a decent job of explaining it more now, and SD is trying to but seems to be making it worse . Nothing more from MM that I've seen.

Still lots of confusion, even between government bodies.

I heard an anology describing Mehole on the radio today, said he's like the lad that's always shouting for the football and as soon as it's passed to him he doesn't know what to do with it, just like he's power mad and wanted to be taoiseach above all else and not that he is he's clueless.

My sister has now put off her son's month's mind because she wouldn't be able to have more than 6 from no more than 3 families to her house and we're a large family.