Easing of Restrictions from 10th May

[EasilyAmused]

Maybe Arlene Foster’s departure has given them all a lift in Leinster House.
Even Michelle O’Neill has scraped back a few millimetres of makeup.

All jokes aside though, I was very surprised to hear Catherine Martin talking about indoor live music gigs.

 

[EasilyAmused]

Anyone watch that Indian doctor on Prime Time? The male doctor?

He was on a Zoom call from India. He’s fully vaccinated but has tested positive for Coronavirus. He’s asymptomatic and is on day three of a ten day quarantine.

 

[odyssey06]

Anyone watch that Indian doctor on Prime Time? The male doctor?

He was on a Zoom call from India. He’s fully vaccinated but has tested positive for Coronavirus. He’s asymptomatic and is on day three of a ten day quarantine.

That seems an abundance of caution. The situation in India seems to have gotten out of control very quickly and its now grave... I think it really deserves its own discussion topic.

 

[demoivre]

I agree with you. As far as I can see people have moved on an are following their own rules rather then the official guidelines.

My son is cranky that he can’t go on play dates whereas many of his friends have had regular play dates in recent weeks.

I did allow him attend a kids birthday party on Tuesday. It was in a park next to the school. There were about a dozen households represented.

The week after the Easter holidays I noticed a neighbouring family not around. They were back the following week, overheard him saying to someone “but we had negative tests, so it was OK”, and she’s had hair straightened.

Then, of course, there are my neighbouring house extensions which continued all through Lockdown Three.

And that’s just local to me.

All through Lockdown Three (until the lifting of the 5km limit) the Gardai have had a well advertised 24 hour Covid checkpoint outside the Commons Bar on the N20.
Meanwhile there’s been a constant stream of cars on the Old Mallow Road and Redforge Road looping around the checkpoint.

As far as I can see the Government are following the public.

I've seen widespread non compliance also but it's countrywide imo. I have adult kids/ family/ friends in different parts of the country.

The 5k rule was widely ignored when it was in force.

There were as many D reg cars on the Hook peninsula in Wexford last weekend as I've seen at any time pre Covid . It will be the same this weekend I'd imagine.

The meet ups and the booze ups, especially amongst the younger generation never stopped.

Last two funerals near me saw about 150 in the cemetery at one and over 400 at the other ( 18 yo in tragic circumstances) Aware of several other funerals where numbers in the graveyard way exceeded the limit.

Some hairdressers and barbers continue to operate locally and I know that to be the case from friends / family in other parts of the country. Beauticians too !

Free Home STI test kits were suspended in January due to inability to cope with demand.

I could go on.

 

[demoivre]

Anyone watch that Indian doctor on Prime Time? The male doctor?

He was on a Zoom call from India. He’s fully vaccinated but has tested positive for Coronavirus. He’s asymptomatic and is on day three of a ten day quarantine.

I didn't see it but what was his point ? As far as I can see the vaccine worked as intended in his case ie he isn't ill ( yet anyway) even though he's tested positive to sars cov2 . The vaccines don't stop you contracting sars cov2.

 

[odyssey06]

I've seen widespread non compliance also but it's countrywide imo. I have adult kids/ family/ friends in different parts of the country.

The 5k rule was widely ignored when it was in force.

There were as many D reg cars on the Hook peninsula in Wexford last weekend as I've seen at any time pre Covid . It will be the same this weekend I'd imagine.

For my locality Dublin Bay North there was a huge surge in traffic around Howth & Clontarf after the 5 km limit was lifted.
I understand similar in Malahide and Donabate.
It did suggest significant numbers were observing the 5 km limit.
But there were a lot of Garda checkpoints in the Dublin 3 and Dublin 5 area.

 

[Purple]

I've seen widespread non compliance also but it's countrywide imo. I have adult kids/ family/ friends in different parts of the country.

The 5k rule was widely ignored when it was in force.

There were as many D reg cars on the Hook peninsula in Wexford last weekend as I've seen at any time pre Covid . It will be the same this weekend I'd imagine.

The meet ups and the booze ups, especially amongst the younger generation never stopped.

Last two funerals near me saw about 150 in the cemetery at one and over 400 at the other ( 18 yo in tragic circumstances) Aware of several other funerals where numbers in the graveyard way exceeded the limit.

Some hairdressers and barbers continue to operate locally and I know that to be the case from friends / family in other parts of the country. Beauticians too !

Free Home STI test kits were suspended in January due to inability to cope with demand.

I could go on.

There are D reg cars owned all over the country so that doesn't necessarily mean the people in Hook are from Dublin, though many probably are.
Given the very low risk of transmission outdoors I really don't have a problem with young people meeting up in Parks, people going for walks in the countryside etc.

Hairdressers doing house calls, meeting up indoors etc are high risk activities.

 

[Purple]

he vaccines don't stop you contracting sars cov2.

Yes, but they greatly reduce the chance of you getting infected by it to an extent that you have a sufficient viral load to pass it on, even if you are exposed to it.
Vaccines which result in 'sterilizing immunity', blocking the virus from ever getting into our cells in the first place, are extremely rare.

 

[EasilyAmused]

That seems an abundance of caution. The situation in India seems to have gotten out of control very quickly and its now grave... I think it really deserves its own discussion topic.

I might watch it again later, just his interview.
I’m going to theorise here. Apologies in advance to anyone that doesn’t like assumptions.

He didn’t say what vaccine he got but I can assume that it’s a vaccine based on the parent strain that was prevalent in early-mid 2020.
B1617, the Indian double variant is running riot through the country. I assume that this is the one he’s contracted. His vaccine is protecting him: he’s not dying, he’s not seriously ill, hors not even
he’s just asymptomatic. However, he’s Covid positive therefore he’s infectious and he must quarantine.

Like Leo said last night, Covid-19 is likely to be with us forever.
When the entire planet is vaxxed it’ll be benign.
I still expect life to go back to normal by the Autumn. I expect we’ll have many more waves of Covid-19 and a few surges, but no more lockdowns.
People will no longer get seriously ill due to herd immunity via vaccination. Masks will be with us for years to come. Positive cases will be the norm but they’ll just self-isolate.

To put it succinctly, vaccines will stop the pandemic and stop the lockdowns. They won’t stop the Coronavirus.

 

[Sunny]

Friends of mine let their child go and get his haircut 'because they are all doing it'. The boy himself, two siblings, both parents, an Aunt and two cousins have now tested positive on the back of it. (Yes they broke the meeting up rules as well). Some of them are pretty sick. There is still a sense of 'It Won't happen to us' out there. I certainly haven't adhered to every restriction religiously so not going to judge anyone apart people taking ridiculous risks like parties but people still need to be careful.

 

[EasilyAmused]

I didn't see it but what was his point ? As far as I can see the vaccine worked as intended in his case ie he isn't ill ( yet anyway) even though he's tested positive to sars cov2 . The vaccines don't stop you contracting sars cov2.

It’s just something he said in passing. His point was nothing to do with him. He was talking about what happening in India.

I just thought it was worth pointing out because a lot of people think that the vaccines are a silver bullet. They’re just a very important arrow in the quiver.

 

[EasilyAmused]

Friends of mine let their child go and get his haircut 'because they are all doing it'.

The teenage son of a colleague of my wife got sick of his growing hair during Lockdown One so he bought himself hair clippers. Apparently, ever since he’s been making a fortune cutting the hair of family/friends/neighbours, €5 a pop.
Even started paying home tax. His mother’s delighted.

 

[Leo]

He was on a Zoom call from India. He’s fully vaccinated but has tested positive for Coronavirus.

That's hardly a surprise at this stage?

 

[EasilyAmused]

A timely reminder that restrictions have been eased but not lifted:

More than 120 revellers defy court order to attend wedding party in Longford

More than 120 revellers defied a court order tonight by attending a wedding after party in Longford.

m.independent.ie

 

[noproblem]

A timely reminder that restrictions have been eased but not lifted:

More than 120 revellers defy court order to attend wedding party in Longford

More than 120 revellers defied a court order tonight by attending a wedding after party in Longford.

m.independent.ie

Just watched this on the 9 O' Clock news tonight. I know if it was my family we would all have been arrested along with the other family and everything would have been forcibly stopped. Can't believe it went ahead and was allowed to go ahead. Absolutely ridiculous laugh made of the law by the people involved

 

[demoivre]

Yes, but they greatly reduce the chance of you getting infected by it to an extent that you have a sufficient viral load to pass it on, even if you are exposed to it.

Is there definitive evidence of that ? As a healthy, fit man with no underlying conditions the only appeal of the vaccines to me is that they might prevent transmission of sar cov2. I don't and never did have the slightest concern about contracting sars cov2 in terms of my own health.

 

[Purple]

Is there definitive evidence of that ? As a healthy, fit man with no underlying conditions the only appeal of the vaccines to me is that they might prevent transmission of sar cov2. I don't and never did have the slightest concern about contracting sars cov2 in terms of my own health.

I'm of a similar mindset. This suggests that vaccinations reduce transmissibility and while the Studies are all early stage logic suggest that a lower viral load should lead to lower rates of transmission.

 

[demoivre]

Just watched this on the 9 O' Clock news tonight. I know if it was my family we would all have been arrested along with the other family and everything would have been forcibly stopped. Can't believe it went ahead and was allowed to go ahead. Absolutely ridiculous laugh made of the law by the people involved

Yeah it's laughable but entirely predictable. Breaches of the restrictions are widespread anyway though. Huge amount of tourist traffic in South Wexford last weekend again and any amount of house parties going on last Sunday night.

 

[EasilyAmused]

Is there definitive evidence of that ? As a healthy, fit man with no underlying conditions the only appeal of the vaccines to me is that they might prevent transmission of sar cov2. I don't and never did have the slightest concern about contracting sars cov2 in terms of my own health.

My understanding is that the vaccine will prevent you of dying or getting seriously ill.

The vaccine will also reduce though not eliminate your chances of transmitting the virus to others.

However, the vaccines we have at present are based on the parent strain of Covid-19 which was widespread in spring 2020.
The transmissibility of B117, B1617, P1, et cetera is at or close to normal levels.

This is my understanding of it all.[/B]

 

[Paul O Mahoney]

I'm of a similar mindset. This suggests that vaccinations reduce transmissibility and while the Studies are all early stage logic suggest that a lower viral load should lead to lower rates of transmission.

As your link says they are still trying to find out , but small studies not just in the UK have shown reduced transmission by varying percentages.
I would say that over the Summer into Autumn there will be more emphasis on this as we will be heading back into the "season " but even if it was a 50% reduction in transmission that would be better than 0.
I still hold the view that it will be years before every aspect of this virus and its variants is known and all we can do now is suppress it with vaccines.