“The Curve Has Been Flattened And Has Now Plateaued”

at

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at government buildings tonight

 

This evening.

At Government Buildings.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that the current Covid-19 movement restrictions will remain for another two weeks.

However, from next Tuesday, May 6, 2020, the 2km limit for exercise and non-essential travel will be increased to 5km.

Also from Tuesday, he said people who are “cocooning” will be able to go for a walk or drive within 5km, as long as they “avoid all contact” with other people.

The “plan to reopen the country” is a five-stage plan, involving three-week blocks, starting on May 18 with the fifth phase starting on August 10, he said.

He mentioned that “not long from now, some summer night, we will see our friends again” and that “in later phases” other workplaces, including pubs, cinemas and gyms, will open.

He said schools and colleges will reopen in September/October.

At the outset, Mr Varadkar said the “curve has been flattened and has now plateaued” before saying “we’ve not yet won this fight”.

At the end of his address, he said he’s received about 10,000 pieces of correspondence and “everyday” he tries to set aside time to read some of them.

He recalled letters he got from Jessica, a wheelchair user “who feels an enormous cloud of loneliness around her”; a letter from healthcare worker Anne-Marie who contracted Covid-19 at work who said her patients were like family; a letter from pensioner Phil who lives alone whose mental health is starting to suffer.

He also said he got a letter from Rachel, aged 13, who is worried about her grandparents and wondering when she’ll be able to go back to school. “Someone worried about her future but who ends her letter asking me to stay safe,” he said.

UPDATE:

Previously: “The Is The Calm Before The Storm”

“There’s No Fate But What We Make For Ourselves”

Meanwhile…

Previously: Locking Down Our Liberties

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61 thoughts on ““The Curve Has Been Flattened And Has Now Plateaued”

  1. Computer Contributor.

    The sooner Varadkar goes the better. His incompetence is costing lives.

  2. Mart Cattle

    Given the choice
    Given the heart
    Given the tool
    Given the word
    Given the cheers

  3. Andrew

    The leader is good, the leader is great.
    We surrender our will as of this date.

    Now for a nice comfy interview with a manchild on the Late Late Show.

    1. f_lawless

      Tears of joy stream down my face as I write this. By the grace of his good will the leader has more than doubled the size of my world. Where once I had but 2km, now I have 5!

  4. :-Joe

    The puppet politician assigned to lower-level middle-tier political managment by corporate financial controller higher-up’s reads the memo from supposedly and hopefully only the Irish healthcare professionals..

    Everthing is going bland, hearltess and monotone.. with a hint of Robotics.. and then…

    Great idea, reinforce the importance of waiting at least two more weeks until the situation is more safe and stable…

    Almost in the same sentence, then encourages people to travel up to an extended 5km instead of 2km as originally before.

    The WHO is corrupt, the Chinese, ‘Murican’s, Russian’s are all as bad as each other…

    Technocrats and Digital Feudal overlords are gaming the world population at every angle..

    It’s hard to find any trustworthy real functioning mainstream media and journalism at all, let alone basic democracy anymore…

    It’s tragic and depressing stuff, folks..
    – You may as well just ignore it if you dare.

    :-J

      1. :-Joe

        What claims do you think I’m making?…
        – I’m just commenting on what I’m seeing and aware of that’s going on… easy to find out for yourself too.

        If you mean the WHO, ask yourself who is the biggest donor and why no countries fund it anymore.

        – If you mean, making a claim to what der leodar just said.. it was broadcast on national public media less than an hour ago as part of his memo / monologue / performance / pr duties etc.

        Feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll try to answer you but as far as “claims” go, you need to be more specific…

        :-J

          1. :-Joe

            Is there a preview or a taster before I waste my time reading an article from the fake corporate finance media and No.1 wall-street supporting rag for the deluded market philosophy eejits and the even more dumfoundingly stupid.. wannabe warren buffet’s everywhere?…

            :-J

        1. Dr.Fart

          i like this Joe guy. Spot on the money, and puts eejits like clampers firmly back in their box. not having any nonsense.

          1. :-Joe

            To be fair, I think you have the wrong idea here…

            I wasn’t trying to put him down or “back in a box”, just replying or trying to answer to his comment… maybe my comment went off a bit blunt?

            Clampers is one of the many mostly decent ones posting on here… As far as I know anyway and from reading his comments going back over many years from the start and before I ever read the comments, let alone replied to any.

            Do I always agree with him and is he always right?.. Hell no, but who does / is?.. – Only the deluded, naive, arrogant, stubborn eejits are etc.

            Just give as good as you get and don’t take comments on online public forums too personal or serious.. It’s mostly all fake digital homogeneous BS and bad for you anyway…

            GL&HF & Eat your fresh fruit and veg…

            :-J

      1. :-Joe

        Replying directly to people, no matter how irritating they are to you is definitely not typical of how most would ignore another comment or commentator.

        Maybe you are unaware of some kind of involuntary or automatic response?..

        :-J

  5. John Smith

    Unless I’ve missed something, there doesn’t seem to be any mention at any point in the predictions in the phased plan of our being permitted to travel beyond 5km for non-essential purposes. Is this not part of the plan?

    Incidentally, the wording on the gov.ie page is ambiguous, with regard to the 5km: ‘people can travel up to 5 kilometres from their homes to exercise’. This can be interpreted as meaning exercising within 5km of home or travelling 5km to take exercise (eg by driving 5km to a park and then walking in it). It might seem that I am being pernickety but the difference is significant and the wording poor, to my mind. When you have to argue these points at a checkpoint, you have to know exactly what the rules are!

    1. :-Joe

      Ye, exactly, it’s crazy stuff.. You would think they were making it up as they go along sometimes… Off the back of a napkin etc.

      Be careful, folks. You’re 4k away from your bunker and the polit bureau are throwing you into a one way ticket to the gulags for non co-operatiion or non-compliance with the regulations.

      Next thing you know it’s… “I’m afraid he was not willing to get down with the program because he claims he was confused, your honour”

      :-J

    2. Lush

      Radius moves to 20km on 8th June, and Ireland-wide (as I interpret it) on 20th July.

  6. Truth in the News

    The issue not addressed, what is the infection rate in each Care Home,and the
    fatality rate, the agencies responsible are HSE and the General Register Office
    Where infections are threat to the Citizens, the precise location and the cause
    of death requires publication as there is little point in continuing further restrictions

  7. John Smith

    As a follow-up to my previous comment, although the travel restriction easing plan is not mentioned on the gov.ie website, I have now discovered references in the full Roadmap document (22 pages), which is downloadable from the website but which fewer people would read.

    Phase 2. 8 June. Extend restriction to 20km, Avoid unnecessary journeys.
    Phase 4. 20 July. Extend travel to outside your region.

  8. Frank

    why did varadkar choose to go on the Late Late show tonight?? to give the nation an update.
    it’s a light entertainment show and varadkar used up a prime time slot which would have been better served… entertaining us with some kind of diversion. instead we get varadkar grinning and snickering like something is funny.
    nothing about this is funny. I hope tonight was a turning point for moderate Ireland towards varadkars ineffectual ‘leadership’
    I’m embarrassed for him and his handlers

    1. Rosette of Sirius

      Are new to this country?! You know it’s not just a light entertainment show…

    2. Matt Pilates

      I think it’s great he went on the Late Late. Removes a lot otherwise taken up by Una Healy, Twink, Joe Duffy or even worse.

      Besides, there was something homely about his looking up his notes.

      1. Matt Pilates

        Forgot Rory Best with his new book – the affable old chubster character referencer.

  9. Orla

    People have forgotten so quick about the cervical check scandal and Tony Holohans involvement ,his advise to Simon Harris was beyond medical and tinged with politicking.
    Lads how can few recall or see the danger in this behavior ? You can forgive for some mistakes but the cervical checks saga is shocking once you read the details.
    They are now avoiding questions from the media, a new low yesterday for Irish politics.

    It’s jaw dropping at this point to see people cheerleading what has become the troika of medicinal tyrants,Simon,leo and Tony given power to shut us down. It’s masochism and self loathing at this point, lock me up and give the Garda more powers to slap me.
    Read the Maurice Mcabe files and you will understand why you currently can’t bestow said powers to said institution, and I don’t mean read GOD for information on Mcabe.

    Leo should present children’s television or do a voice over for children’s kindle books, forget this leading countries nonsense Leo it’s not for you.
    Himself and Simon Harris are empty vessels ,amplifiers/microphones for Tony and his mysterious nphet who bare similarity to Wall Street styled dark pools at this point .
    Tony and the nphet crew should become a band that plays at socially distanced venues, they are not intelligent enough to lead or shut down this country ,do they not understand that the public can access statistics?

    What can you expect though when our current leader is a Kylie Minogue fanboy who writes fanboy letters as an adult to Kylie Minogue, “ah sure loads of adults write letters to kylie that’s what makes Leo relatable” …..

    When the only arguments left are to claim leo is better than trump ,better than Boris ,we came 6th in the corona-19 deaths premier league table as being a great achievement, we’re doing better than the English, Estonia and Sweden’s statistics are all lies or shinners would be way worse ,at this point it’s time to abandon the corona ship.

    #playingablinder

    1. Mart Cattle

      ranting unfocused gibberish again
      a pity as there could be some good points buried in there
      We’ll never know now, or care

      1. Ger

        Wrong. This post nails it, holohan is too political.

        His remit is patient safety, total silence on this for the last 19 years .

        1. Mart Cattle

          Wrong

          There has been loads of stuff done on this in recent years by the HSE
          Because it’s a big hairy-assed complex problem, we don’t hear much about it in the media.
          No-one’s going to ring Joe Duffy and say, hey I’ve heard the patient safety protocol update

        2. V

          Tony Holohan is the State’s Chief Medical Officer
          A Clinician by qualification, but a career Department ( of health) Official
          His role is Medicines chief Government Official and is concerned with Health management, both strategic and tactical, on a National scale, like this pandemic,
          Health advances, investment / divestment and Health security,
          and all that sort of Healthcare Management without seeing patients

          I’m not sure Government acting or otherwise, are permitted to interfere with his function or role – other that fund it tbh
          He has been in that role – probably since Harney had her ample rear running the Dept of Health
          So I don’t know how he can be accused of being Political

          Patient Safety is a HSE responsibility
          Is Tony Holohan even on the Board of the HSE?

      2. SOQ

        Bitchy sarcastic sniping from you again Mart Cattle so.

        It must feel great to know it all- I am too old myself.

        1. Mart Cattle

          If you’re looking for a fight you’re sniping at the wrong pair of ankles.
          FYI yours are the comments I’m most likely to scroll over without reading.
          Well you, Clampers and Nigel.

      3. Orla

        An you’ll never clarify where because vagueness and allusion to your superior perceptive capacity is how your authoritarian brain works. Are you mad to slap me for questioning the clergy?

        Tell that to the women who died of cervical cancer that “loads of stuff” has been done, like what we ask, loads man,looaaads.
        There was enough already in place to prevent the negligence of the cervical check saga, it was slowed down at every turn and holohan was deeply involved, it’s outright contempt for life by holohan and his cohorts , read the official documents on it.
        No patient safety protocol is worth the paper it’s written on if it’s not acted upon, you would think the medical establishment would already have patient safety in mind,no? It’s politicking and tokenism.
        Some of the women who suffered from this were highly educated, they seen what needed to be done, Emma Mhic Mhathúna who sadly passed away called for disassembly and reassembly of the HSE, she will be proven right with time.

        Your the exact type of authoritarian persona we have “running” the show now, the shut up and do as I say, don’t answer questions, keep it vague, appeal to selective experts etc. Leo now drops the mic trump style refusing questions, the medicinal tyrant tony cant be bothered anymore because his actions are not justified anymore by the numbers and mounting facts, Tony is an expert at evasion at this stage.

        You get real triggered when we mention the police state, can’t handle facts,” loaaads” of facts and “stuff” to prove that to you.
        An institution like the Garda currently cannot be given those powers, how many examples do you need? Mcabe was jailed if he didn’t have tapes, in limerick last year they arrested several senior members of the Gardai, it goes on….

        Holohan is now overseeing the testing of covid 19 in Ireland, he was also partly overseeing the testing of cervical checks, nobody in our media currently connecting the dots, the dots of incompetence ,the public think he’s great cause he’s well spoken and came across well on the covid 19 infected late late show, the same public were outraged by the cervical check scandal,amnesia.
        Still no talk of viral load tests by the way, sticking with amplification which is poor.

        1. GiggidyGoo

          You’re not doing very well Mart. Showing yourself up as an empty vessel. Time to toddle along Mart. Try a new name.and a different approach. You’re busted.

        2. Steph Pinker

          Well said, Orla. You make many valid points and your posts are sincere – keep it lit – in an Olympian sense. Truth always reveals itself.

          1. SOQ

            +1

            Don’t mind the bitchy one or two line snipers- censorship is their game.

            Do learn how to focus your points and space however.

          2. V

            Really?

            Keeping her lit I understood was term of colloquium, and form of endearment, as in ‘ah shur’ we’re not doing too bad’ and sometimes to hope people were in a position to keep the home fire burning and the old kettle on the boil.
            General comfort and some prosperity to have a hearth with a bitta coal or turf

            And keeping her lit was once a very important job on the bog
            And during saving the hay season

            Seriously I always assumed it was one of our own
            In fact it’s the title of a chapter in that buke I keep forgetting about

            Didn’t think for a moment there was anything Olympian about it ah’tall

  10. SOQ

    On the 17th March Leo said we could expect a 30% increase in CoVid-19 every day. That would have been roughly half a million infected by middle of April. Lock down has certainly reduced the number of infections but given that the majority of fatalities are from within nursing home type settings- it is quite obvious that the predictive modeling was also way off.

    Interesting opinion from Australia- differing stats but the same principle- Politicians ‘don’t have the guts to admit COVID-19 was exaggerated’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J3gWwG_ty4

    1. Orla

      The problem is they don’t know how to back out of this politically because they think it’s popular with the public ,Boris across the water is in the same position.
      The reality at this point is it’s all about politics, deaths are collateral damage in the world of politics ,lives ruined but still alive in politics is grand.

      The Irish journo’s seem to be catching on now finally.

      1. SOQ

        Unless financially independent meaning mortgage paid and a reasonable sum to pay kid’s third level education- Irish journalism is a wage slave- end of.

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Time to toddle along there Mart. You’re not adding anything to the discussion.

          1. Mart Cattle

            You see this kind of behaviour is exactly why you have zero friends Giggidy

            But you can still be my fwend

  11. Broadbag

    Orla, you seem obsessed with the Gardai and McCabe and Holohan and cervical check, ring some other bells from time to time.

    On the nonsensical “police state” guff, what is your alternative solution to the very light handed Garda checks we currently have? Get the army to do it? Traffic wardens? Trust each other to self-police and do the right thing? Unfortunately the evidence is we, the general public can’t be trusted because we are infected by so many gobpoos who think ‘having the craic’ or fecking around doing whatever they deem important in their own, tiny selfish brains, is far more important than pulling together to keep everyone safe.

    Is my journey essential? No, but it’s MY journey so off I go and feck everyone else, until they get sick and then it’s wahh, wahh, why didn’t the big bad gubberment protect me?

  12. John Smith

    Is it ‘light-handed’ to be stopped at a checkpoint by a guard who stands well inside the social distance, puts his unmasked mouth close to the partly-open window and argues about 2 km, shopping and which shops I should be going to, whilst a guard who is armed (or, at least, wearing an armed-gardi vest) looks on? I found it pretty scary.

    This was a Sunday (not bank holiday weekend), in the west of Ireland and there were hardly any cars on the road.

    Around here there is hardly anyone to be seen in the towns and villages or on the country roads and little traffic and this has been the case since before the guards were given powers to police the lock-down. People were ‘policing’ themselves very effectively.

  13. John Smith

    In response to a comment which think has been removed now, as regards the example above, I was going out to do essential shopping, which is a permissible reason for being out on the road.

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