Coronavirus - Here come the variants

[Tierneevin1979]

Have we gone full circle yet from keep the riddled nordies out to everyone now booking holidays in NI for the summer? It could be a great summer for tourism, have you any tourist attraction you could pull together in your spare time?

[glenshane]

Do you like a good riot? 20 squid in…includes a free cocktail

[Elvis_Brandenberg_Kr]

The Government are slowly starting to change tack in response to the public mood as dictated to them by Twatter.

The latest tactic is to push some of the more odious and moronic TDs/Senators to the forefront of the discourse. Regina Doherty has been particularly prominent in recent days, along with McAuliffe, for example. I’d expect to see Damien English wheeled out soon.

Have them look stupid and then have the big-hitters step in as the voice of reason.

[Copper_pipe]

@TheUlteriorMotive

Correct Vaccinations don’t remove need to self isolate.

After COVID-19 vaccination, you can still become a close contact of COVID-19. There is no change in advice for what close contacts of COVID-19 need to do, even if they have been vaccinated.

www2.hse.ie

Getting your COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines offer protection from COVID-19. People who are most at risk from COVID-19 will be vaccinated first. Find out what you need to know about getting your COVID-19 vaccine.

Fully vaccinated people may not have to isolate if identified as close contacts

[TheUlteriorMotive]

More flip flops than an Olympics swimming pool

New plan to reduce hotel quarantine stay by half if arrivals test negative...

[backinatracksuit]

@tallback

@backinatracksuit

Fair enough, I had this argument today in real life too with somebody very close to me,

I genuinely believe that it is not worth the risk of shutting down classes or schools for the sake of the few days it would take, the INTO fella on drive time tonight said it would take half a day in one venue to vaccinate all special school teachers and SNAs, that would be a great start

I thought that argument had some merit until someone here said that you have to self-isolate even if you’re vaccinated! So you could have a school full of vaccinated teachers but in comes a teenager with a positive test and the class is shut down anyway

I’d say this will change,
It doesn’t matter either way, the government won’t turn on this, public opinion favours them, the idea that teachers are ‘off’ during school closures is a popular one, often goes unchallenged in the media, you never hear it about any other profession forced to work from home, it does annoy me when I hear it on radio etc,

[Tim_Riggins]

Putting caps on those who can enter the country, with no consideration of what this would do to supply chains.

It’s clear what a moron we are dealing with.

[TreatyStones]

I think that attitude came in during the first lockdown when there did seem to be minimal effort in a lot of schools (I know not all schools/teachers), but anecdotally a lot of teachers were sending an email on a Sunday with the work for the week and that was it.

You couldn’t say the same for this lockdown post Christmas as teacher seemed far better setup (naturally enough) and more engaged in an on-going basis with their classes.

[glenshane]

@Tim_Riggins

Putting caps on those who can enter the country, with no consideration of what this would do to supply chains.

It’s clear what a moron we are dealing with.

Are you talking about rugby or soccer?

[Heyyoubehindthebushes]

A big yellow star to identify people who entered the country would be a suggestion from a fg backbencher I thought. Patrick o Donovan will reveal this plan later

[Biff_Egan]

No, he’ll want to ‘brand’ anyone who buys a six pack of beer.

[dodgy_keeper]

Number in hospital with covid down to 220, number in ICU down to 58.

[Heyyoubehindthebushes]

Its like it’s following a seasonal route like the flu. Who would have thought that? A misleading statement from the bushes

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

EU Medicines Agency (EMA_News)

[backinatracksuit]

It’s practically over now, barring a genuine mutant deadly variant
It’ll be history by the new year, we’ve some adjusting to do in the meantime

[TheUlteriorMotive]

The next week is critical.

[dodgy_keeper]

@backinatracksuit

It’s practically over now, barring a genuine mutant deadly variant
It’ll be history by the new year, we’ve done adjusting to do in the meantime

I don’t know pal, I doubt very much that the powers-that-be are going to sanction any radical easing of restrictions while there’s still a few hundred cases a day.

Once most of the adults are vaccinated the debate will shift to “we can’t afford to ease up until every adult is vaccinated.” (Of course this ignores the minority who will refuse to take it.)

It will then turn to children, the little stealth bombers they are, and the threats to them as they will be unvaccinated (is unvaccinated a word?).

Throughout this crisis the authorities have significantly shifted the goalposts to suit their narrative. It was to save lives initially, then pivoted to protect the hospitals from being crowded and keep ICU numbers low, now it’s all about the case numbers.

I genuinely have no idea what way NPHET will turn next. So far lockdown has been the only weapon in their arsenal.

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

They won’t let go of their new powers too easy that’s for sure.

[TheUlteriorMotive]

They’ve constantly raised the bar of what’s necessary to avoid lifting restrictions.

If you told people a year ago we’d be locked down while a vaccination programme was underway they’d have not believed it.

[dodgy_keeper]

@TheUlteriorMotive

They’ve constantly raised the bar of what’s necessary to avoid lifting restrictions.

If you told people a year ago we’d be locked down while a vaccination programme was underway they’d have not believed it.

The pubs & hairdressers opening in the UK and small crowds being back at sporting and cultural events will increase the pressure on our mob, who respond to whichever way the wind blows.