Coronavirus ROI/NI number 4

[eggandonion]

I don't believe it, would it ever go away!

What's the reaction in the North to the school's closing? Is it just 1 extra week? Do they still open for essential workers?

I know there are far bigger problems but dh and I are both essential workers and trying to mind the children while both of us trying to work outside the home full-time nearly broke me. Don't know if I could face it again, one of the jobs (mine) might have to go if ROI close the schools and childcare facilities again for any length of time.

Thank you for the new thread @eggandonion.
There is talk of putting border counties in lockdown* @Quarterback11*

Thank you for setting up the new thread, eggandonion.

I wish it would go away. As LadyEloise said on the previous thread, our lives have been well and truly turned upside down. Who would have thought it last year.

Quarterback 11, I couldn't imagine it. In fairness to ye, that must have been really hard.

I think retail needs to be treated the same in the border counties. If shops are open in Newry and Derry, but closed in RoI people will cross the border.
I think most people involved in decision making are men. But a lot of the work and complications land on women whether childcare, sorting out elderly relatives, keeping a eye on neighbours.
Leo still thinks he is in charge, he must be difficult to deal with in cabinet.

@Quarterback11 the schools are totally closed next week - no homeschooling. And not open for key worker children either.

One of the school mums was texting everyone to say that schools would be closed next week. There was a bit of a panic until others worked out that she hadn't been listening to the news properly so hadn't realised that it was NI and not RoI.

One salon owner was on the RTE News bemoaning the closure of her salon saying that people were getting their hair and nails done because they were "going out" and now she'll have to close.

It was as if she couldn't see how the two things might be linked

Over a thousand new cases today. It doesn't seem to be slowing at all even will everywhere at level 3.

Schools are closed completely for an extra week but we are using our optional days so losing holiday days later in the year. Childcare is seemingly staying open as normal as I've had a message from ds (2.5) nursery to say they aren't a school therefore staying open. We won't be sending him as surely that defeats the purpose? Though it's hard not to in that he only started in August and it's only in the past 2 weeks that he's stopped crying at drop off 🤨
Over 1200 cases in ni today... Not sure whether I believe them when they say schools are only shut for 2 weeks. I wish we had gone with blended learning back in August for schools restarting as originally planned at least we would have been able to distance the kids a bit more/ keep them in smaller groups and the day to clean would have hopefully helped too. It's not ideal but maybe it would have at least given continuity to kids and parents alike than all this start stop that seems likely to continue for the rest of the year.

Blended learning would have been the way to go. I realise that would have been difficult for working parents.

Blended learning was the sensible option, and we likely wouldn't be in this position now. I'm hoping they'll decide to reopen with blended learning and stop this happening again. Schools are struggling massively with cases, among staff and pupils and I know several teachers and assistants who have contracted covid from asymptomatic pupils.

The numbers in NI are very scary.

Has anyone any view on why this is so bad? Behaviour, lack of adherence to the current guidelines, what? It is mad altogether.

I agree they should have gone with blended learning.

Why are the number so high? Too much mixing in houses / clubs / communions / funerals etc etc

Dad's Army approach to Covid, completely useless.

Thanks for the new thread @eggandonion. Signing in for what's likely to be a bleak winter.

A high of 1,095 cases in ROI and 1,217 cases in NI

I think an All-Ireland approach would make a lot of sense but I can understand the fears of the Loyalist communities (and their politicians) that they might be lured into a United Ireland by stealth. I'm sure they would be bitterly opposed to any such suggestion.

Seems likely we (in ROI) are heading for Level 4 restrictions. But there's no point in having restrictions unless people comply with them.

RTE interviewed a GP in Cavan town who made the following observation - "She said that her practice had identified two very defined clusters in the area. One was a recent large public celebration and the other resulted from a large private celebration." Who in their right mind would organize a large celebration (public or private) at this time? But obviously someone organized these events and people showed up. There seems to be an "It will never happen to me" mentality.

@Quarterback11 you must be so stressed at the prospect of more school closures. I hope it doesn't come to that. Women have definitely been hit harder than men - trying to do two jobs at once. Or in your case, trying to be in two places at once.

So what’s this then? Level 3.75? 3.8?

It's like level 4 only more shops are open! Which I agree with, I don't think it is spreading because of shops being open - see Taytocrisps post

The cost of compensating non essential retail closing is probably scaring the shit out of them and proving an effective deterrent to level 4.

So here we are, Level 3.8

Tagging in 👋

Crikey. Level 3.8 it is.

No ICU beds free in some Cork hospitals. That is scary.

What happened to the deal with the private hospitals that they had at the start?

ICU numbers in April were multiples of what they are now.

I just checked it. At the absolute peak there were five times the number in ICU compared to now.

I think blended learning at primary could have turned into a nightmare, to be honest, if not done carefully.

A lot of families just wouldn't have childcare (including teachers themselves, who generally rely on mostly being off at the same time as their kids, so don't have alternatives in place), so kids would be dropped off at each other's houses or left to roam around. I know several parents in DS' class (including myself) who would have to quit work or massively reduce their hours if the kids were at home 3 days a week - the furlough scheme wouldn't cover that, so it would just mean a fairly substantial drop in family income.

Teachers would be preparing online lessons but also still teaching full time, so a lot of work.

DH is a teacher and I think he had about 3 kids out of 22 or so who actually did ANY of the online work he set during lockdown - between families with no access to tech (or one computer between 3 kids, or broadband that wasn't up to parents doing conference calls and kids online as well), ones who couldn't be bothered (or parents couldn't be bothered setting it up for them), and ones who just vanished off the radar completely.

I think in secondary it would be more successful, because at least the kids are old enough to stay at home alone.