Coronavirus ROI/NI number 4

[eggandonion]

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

Over 6000 new cases.

@Iblinkedandiamold, do look after yourself, I think everyone is feeling lost just now. I was busy in work before Christmas and the normality was welcome. I pass a nursery when I'm out and about, it was lovely watching the staff and kids.
I'll try to check in here more, if it helps anyone feel less alone.

@SionnachRua

Nothing is being announced about schools until Wednesday apparently. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they row back on that.

Really galls me that the Government has tried to play the waiting game on this issue. So disrespectful to parents (who need to sort childcare and work) and teachers (who need to put plans in place). Not to mention the poor kids.

Is that in the North or the South for a Wednesday announcement?

@hopeishere the south.
@eggandonion going through some family stuff at the moment. Same shit I've posted about before.

Work is a good distraction, you'd miss it! Especially when family stuff is tough.

Lipz you have been through the works last term. That should not have been said to you. They were way out of order.

If schools are going to close, I will be sorry, no doubt about it. However, the health of staff and students has to be come first. I don't swallow the line that schools are safe while there is a public health crisis on this scale. Before September, one of the epidemiologists stated that schools are safe so long as community transmission of the virus is low, which makes sense. And now it's rampant.

I'm sorry you are feeling low iblinkedandiamold. It's a very stressful time for you.

Oh shit, national lockdown in UK. All schools shut until at least mid Feb.
Worried what our announcement will be. keep checking RTE news on line.

I feel utterly sick. I just want to curl up in a ball and cry. Looks (highly) likely that GCSEs and A-levels will be cancelled here (NI) again. DS is devastated. I don’t even know what to think. My heart is just broken for all the young people who have worked so hard since last year with the assurance from Peter Weir that exams WILL go ahead, and for my colleagues in school who are just broken now.

I know it's upsetting but at least you know - wish Dublin would call it instead of this Wednesday business. No idea wtf they're waiting around for.

Still waiting to here from ni executive.. Their meeting has apparently finished so surely they can just make their statement save everyone waiting about

I think they'll make an announcement at 10pm.

I don't see how they can let the AQE go ahead, which will be crap for ds & other P7s who have worked so hard but would be senseless to continue. Annoying that it would have been better in Nov like originally planned! Can't cope with any more delays

I'd be more supportive of full lockdown for this last leg

m.independent.ie/irish-news/education/ministers-no-longer-expect-schools-to-fully-reopen-on-january-11-39930326.html

It's looking less likely schools will reopen fully in ROI - nothing definite yet though.

Why are the south waiting till Weds to announce it. My anxiety is through the roof at this stage. I am eating all around me too.

I don't get the delay in ROI either..
As usual, scraps of information being leaked when all we ask for is some clarity and some advance notice.

I'm sorry, Iblinkedandiamold, I think it's Wednesday morning they're saying at least. I'm hoping it might be sooner too.

It's worse when there's nothing to distract you. All you can do is sit and wait it out.

Sorry. I want a vaccine plan if schools close for weeks. The loss to kids is just enormous. Parents in ROI will put up with this for 1 winter thats it- what preparation has been done ? Like its nearly a yr. I thought testing contacts insane and swabning healthy people insane from.the outset. There is no stopping an airborne , thousands of minuscule droplet virus.
living with covid / flattening the curve was so dead in the water as soon as it started
.No implentation of isolation. 14 day isolation if negative just crazy. So why hang on the absolute truth of + results and not hang on the absolute truth of the negative result then !
So many staff in our hosps out isolating. And no symptoms / tested negative.
Public blaming and finger wagging from the govt. Oh people are socialising / young having partys-no looking at the mismanagement. Its just awful.its so hatd to keep going mentally in all this barrage with no hope cultivated by NPhet save for the odd vaccine word popped in
They are afraid of their lives being cornered by hard media questions but they wont come from a msm news conference !!

. All teachers need to go on reduced wages to share in the financial burden caused by this as i cant see classes being for 6 hrs a day by zoom. Our school was useless last time , very slow off the batt with the result i employed a teacher to come in and do irish and maths with my 3. After a few weeks of NOTHING.from the school
Why do schools vary in approach ?? Its just awful on kids. My DS age 7 is trying to play and have fun. Today such a long day snd so cold out. Its awful the uncertainty. I also feel all workers like those in supermarkets need their kids minded kn creches just as much as front liners. Its just a nightmare.
The non clarity on vaccines is terrible-dribs + drabs of snippets, and the non criticism from MSM of anything the govt. do is apparently to do with the threat of the HSE pulling their advertising which will screw RTE .

@LizzieAnt

m.independent.ie/irish-news/education/ministers-no-longer-expect-schools-to-fully-reopen-on-january-11-39930326.html

It's looking less likely schools will reopen fully in ROI - nothing definite yet though.

Maybe they're going to try and open for some age groups only or children of essential workers or something.

DH was on a massive rant earlier - too much Twitter. We only have control over our own situation and I've learned there's no point getting worked up over what should be done or is not being done by government... But I really do dislike not knowing. Once you know, you can plan.

@Radyward

Sorry. I want a vaccine plan if schools close for weeks. The loss to kids is just enormous. Parents in ROI will put up with this for 1 winter thats it- what preparation has been done ? Like its nearly a yr. I thought testing contacts insane and swabning healthy people insane from.the outset. There is no stopping an airborne , thousands of minuscule droplet virus. living with covid / flattening the curve was so dead in the water as soon as it started .No implentation of isolation. 14 day isolation if negative just crazy. So why hang on the absolute truth of + results and not hang on the absolute truth of the negative result then ! So many staff in our hosps out isolating. And no symptoms / tested negative. Public blaming and finger wagging from the govt. Oh people are socialising / young having partys-no looking at the mismanagement. Its just awful.its so hatd to keep going mentally in all this barrage with no hope cultivated by NPhet save for the odd vaccine word popped in They are afraid of their lives being cornered by hard media questions but they wont come from a msm news conference !!

. All teachers need to go on reduced wages to share in the financial burden caused by this as i cant see classes being for 6 hrs a day by zoom. Our school was useless last time , very slow off the batt with the result i employed a teacher to come in and do irish and maths with my 3. After a few weeks of NOTHING.from the school
Why do schools vary in approach ?? Its just awful on kids. My DS age 7 is trying to play and have fun. Today such a long day snd so cold out. Its awful the uncertainty. I also feel all workers like those in supermarkets need their kids minded kn creches just as much as front liners. Its just a nightmare.
The non clarity on vaccines is terrible-dribs + drabs of snippets, and the non criticism from MSM of anything the govt. do is apparently to do with the threat of the HSE pulling their advertising which will screw RTE .

Forgive my ignorance but what is MSM?

Main stream media.

My brother is in caterimg in scotlsnd and is doing village car parks ar the minute which is busy TG. He has been followingchefs on twitter and catering industry people throughout the lock downs and says now they have just stopped twittering and seem to be just giving up.
My children arw struggling at home as the christmas holidays were long. I just dont know how best to support them .my eldest is 13 and is just gone so quiet. So worrying inside peoples homes and outside too

Beyond stressed this morning waiting to hear the AQE announcement. If it’s cancelled how will schools assign places, given that the primaries have already said they won’t get involved in grading pupils? I’m feeling very angry with the two parents whose legal action led to the postponement, if the original dates had been stuck to the tests would have been over by now.

I’ve sorted childcare. My new mantra is to rely on the Irish state for nothing.

Re the schools, surely the obvious solution is to make up any missed weeks now by working through holidays later in the year?

I don’t want any ‘remote learning’. It was dire last time and even if it gets better (wouldn’t be difficult) there’s a limit to how much a senior infant can engage. They need to be in class. My son’s class have missed a huge amount, they’re really behind.

What are the govt for if not making decisions? You’d understand a bit of faffing and dithering the first time you’re faced with it, but it’s gone on long enough and by now they should have their act together.
Business needs time to plan. The economic costs of the time the govt spend flying kites and playing Chinese whispers with the media is huge. Anxiety levels are soaring round the country, not because people are going to have to take more pain but because they can’t plan. It’s an unnecessary level of torture.
They shouldn’t be winging it at this stage. It should be a case of if we have to shut this sector this and this have to happen In the first wave Varadkar lost 3 days because he announced lockdown on a Friday night instead of the Thursday, not anticipating that businesses have to be physically in their premises on a weekday to sort out banking, shut servers, and set up safe remote systems. By now they should have some inkling that people need to know whether to order stock, builders need to know whether to order materials, teachers need to plan lessons, workers need to organise childcare.
And when you’re dealing with exponential growth, everyday lost dithering loses lives. Just get on with it.

Hugs for everyone here who is struggling at the moment, particularly @Iblinkedandiamold and @lipz and I’m sure there are more too, feeling low even if you’re not saying so. I’d usually pop a flowers emoji in but I think a is more apt.

MSM = mainstream media

I expect the Irish government are getting themselves in a twist about what to do about key worker provision and that’s what’s causing the delay. There’s a bizarre reluctance in Ireland to differentiate in terms of what’s offered to people. It’s all or nothing for some reason.

What I’ve just realised is that NPHET, who are always calling for more/harder lockdowns are remarkably quiet on schools and have not commented publicly on the current situation. It’s not like Tony to keep his mouth shut or miss an opportunity to recommend shutting something.

It’s interesting.