For The Love Of Pod

at

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone in the Dáil yesterday evening

Yesterday evening.

In the Dáil.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone said Ireland would look at the Norwegian model of childcare for the phase reopening of childcare.

She added:

Our preliminary guidance is pointing towards preparations whereby childcare will operate in pods. As far as possible, this will entail small groups of children with the same childcare practitioner in the same room with the same toys every time they are there. We are exploring the number of children that could be cared for by a single adult childcare practitioner. They will play together and will be encouraged to stay together in their pods and use outdoor spaces as much as possible.”

She later told the Dáil that “the pods plan” was “based on advice given to us by the public health expert”. It is not something that I am saying, it is the public health expert saying that.

And on facemaks, she said:

“Our preliminary advice is that the wearing of face masks by children under six years of age is unlikely to contribute to improved infection control. It may be the case that children would not use them consistently without a degree of reinforcement or coercion. This would not be desirable.”

Related: Ireland will look at ‘Norwegian model’ for reopening childcare (The Irish Times)

Meanwhile,

Um.

Kinsale, County Cork

A number of streets are being considered for pedestrianisation and a novel street pod concept, which could see diners sitting outdoors in enclosed pods, is on the cards….

Kinsale seeks reboot with ‘bold decisions’  (Eoin English, The Irish Examiner)

Transcript: Oireachtas.ie

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21 thoughts on “For The Love Of Pod

  1. Cian

    The idea of “pods” does seem a misguided to me. I can’t see it working.

    If there is one carer looking after a group, but then they need a break/lunch – who looks after the kids? another carer! If the place is open for 12 hours they are probably working in shifts – so one child will have multiple carers. All the carers will need to use the communal kitchen area with shared equipment. It doesn’t seem practical.

    I think it might be better to encourage improved cleaning – all kids and staff on arrival & departure are ‘decontaminated’. and encourage better hand washing throughout the day.

      1. V now a very Public Juridic Person of Pontifical Right.

        WTF

        Of course children could be in a creche for 12 hours

        Jesus, as if most working parents don’t feel sh1t about it as it is

        You try getting into work at 9 am, suited and booted, without breakfast cereal or gawk all over your work clothes
        or getting out of work before peak commuter traffic that has you white knuckled for an hour just to travel 5 kms. Knowing your baba has watched all her pals go home and is fretting about her own Mammy

        and then do it all over again the next day, and the next day etc etc

        You know about a month ago I posted here that getting the Creches back up was going to be a major barrier to getting the country going again
        yere not so sneery now

        And since I’m at it;
        Zappone should be feckin deported, a disgraceful representative, and the worst Minister to ever hold a seal of office,
        and feck me, but that takes some doing

        Childcare in Ireland could do with that 60m she handed back to Paschal right now

  2. Slightly Bemused

    So if one of these kids tosses a toy, would that make it a podcast?

    Right, coat!

  3. b

    it must be so tiring being mick caul, having to find something to be outraged about on twitter every day

    1. carly_b

      Even more tiring when you have to consider all the social media endorsements he gets involved in that he has to walk back.

      Freemen on the land, Gemma, various other Milkshake Ducks.

  4. Janet, I ate my avatar

    all the kids here are charging around the state together, have been for the past month, I’d guess it’s a similar situation across the country

  5. broadbag

    She is one of the worst ministers in history and she has lots of competition, bumbling and bluffing her way from one idiotic idea to the next.

    Regarding the street pods, I don’t see the point – are they going to be meticulously disinfected after each use, if not they’re just big petri-pods. Plus outdoors stuff doesn’t work so well in Ireland what with the weather, drug addicts and scumbags.

      1. george

        As to your comments on other people, please consider emigrating to somewhere that better meets your needs. We can do without your attitude. It only holds us back.

      1. Otis Blue

        Fine. But what about other people less stable, less educated, less middle-class than me?

  6. GiggidyGoo

    Zappone only got into her position as Minister because of her Senate support for Enda Kenny/Fine Gael / Water Charges. She got rewarded when she got elected. The electorate got sense then, as she has proved to be a dismal figure in a ministerial position.
    Good riddance to her and the stage she rode in on.

  7. Orla

    “based on advice given to us by the public health expert”

    The above quote sums up the covid 19 hysteria, selective science and selective experts , you don’t agree with my experts then your a conspiracy theorist.

    Should we trust bill gates as an expert when his “expert” scientific advisor was Boris Nikolic, Boris was the Executor of jeffrey Epstein’s will, Jeffrey was a pathological child sex trafficker, bill met with Jeffrey many times.
    The WHO are heavily funded by bill gates and people don’t see this as a conflict of interest because he’s a billionaire so he must be a genius and doing good for us all.

    A great card game could be created from the covid 19 saga in the style of top trumps.

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