Author Archives: Bodger

Last night/this morning.

Three CNN employees were fired for going to a company office without being vaccinated.

The memo was obtained by The Associated Press after its contents were first tweeted by CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy. CNN offered no details on the firings, or where the employees were based.

Firm but fair.

CNN Fires Three Employees For Coming To Work Unvaccinated (NPR)

“Toes” by Marta Barcikowska

This afternoon/evening.

Mark at Jam Art Factory writes:

We’ve a new “Toes” A2 limited edition giclée print in by Galway based  designer, Marta Barcikowska.

For a chance to win this beauty, tell us your favourite place to swim in Ireland and why. Best answer wins.

Lines MUST close at 2am.

Jam Art Factory

Jam Art Prints

Jam Art Print competition appears here every second Thursday.

Paul Reid, CEO HSE, at Dr Steevens’ Hospital this afternoon

*punches screen*

This afternoon.

Dr Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin.

Referring to the Katherine Zappone story, HSE CEO Paul Reid told the weekly HSE covid briefing:

“The only concern we have is people just drop their guard over the next few weeks, whether it’s over frustration or confusion.

“People drop their guard. So the message from the HSE people stick with us, in a few weeks time we will be on a much better side of this pandemic.

“My call is to the public: don’t get confused, don’t get frustrated, just stick with what we’re doing, it’s working and allow us to get on with the vaccination programme.”

All better.

Earlier: You Never Pick Up

“A Grubby Little Episode”

RollingNews

Niamh O’Beirne, National Lead, Testing and Tracing, HSE

This afternoon.

Dr Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin.

Are you ghosting the HSE?

Stop it.

At the HSE weekly covid press briefing, HSE’s National Lead for Testing and Tracing Niamh O’Beirne said:

“We now see 35% of our close contacts fully vaccinated, which is 5% up on the previous week, and continues to take those individuals if they don’t have symptoms out of our system.”

“One of the problems we do have in contact tracing is people answering the phone. If you are an index case you will know because you have received a text.”

“Please take that call, it’s an important call.”

FIGHT!

‘Proud day’ as Ireland reaches six millionth vaccine milestone – HSE (RTÉ)

RollingNews


From top: Róisín Shortall.; Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone

Um.

This afternoon.

Further to Merriongate…

…Social Democrats co leader Róisín Shortall writes:

“The government spent weeks in negotiations with the hospitality industry, about the rules that should apply to their businesses, but we now learn that everybody was working from a misplaced understanding of the law. Instead of the numbers for outdoor social gatherings being strictly curtailed, it is actually possible to host an event with up to 200 people. Curiously, this revelation was only made public after the Tánaiste himself attended a private function in a five-star hotel with 50 guests. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the government has sacrificed its own public health guidelines to save the Tánaiste’s political skin.

“This grubby little episode suggests there is a prevalent attitude, among an elite in Irish society, that there is one rule for the little people and another for them. It is possible to host an event for scores of political insiders at a swanky hotel, but communions and confirmations are deemed too dangerous to proceed while wedding parties cannot exceed 100 guests – even if they are held outside.

“Questions also need to be asked about the public health implications of any revised guidelines. Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan has previously said that large groups of people, in close proximity outdoors, can facilitate the transmission of covid-19. If we now have a scenario in which events of up to 200 people can be held outdoors, what does this mean about the spread of the Delta variant through communities? Has Nphet been consulted about these new guidelines?

Ms Shortall added:

“…Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has yet to give an explanation as to how this role came about, the nature of the job, the precise details of the recruitment process and whether the position is now vacant or not.

“Mr Coveney has said “mistakes were made in how this appointment was brought about”, but he has yet to tell us what those mistakes were and how he plans to address them. The Minister must now answer these questions. There is no reason he cannot give that clarity today.”

Earlier: Merrion Haste, Repent At Leisure

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

Vial times.

Earlier: One Degree Of Kevin Bacon

Registration for Covid-19 for 12-15 age group to open next week (RTÉ)

This afternoon.

Give Us The Night is an ‘independent volunteer group of professionals operating within the night-time industry’.

Buzz writes:

‘Irish venues, nightclubs and music events are being disregarded, and more closures are certain if this continues. We wrote to Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar and Catherine Martin, laying out a range of necessary measures to help our industry reopen safely and swiftly.’

1. A guarantee of non-socially distanced trial events in September irrespective of COVID-19 case numbers.

2. A lifting of the ban on dancing at all live events (indoors and outdoors), to take effect as soon as possible.

3. A lifting of the ban on live and loud music.

4. The significant expansion of public testing services, to offer a range of free PCR and antigen tests for the public, ensuring increased safety against any possible outbreaks of COVID-19 at events.

5. A starting date for all live events (with the removal of social distancing) including music venues and nightclubs, no later than the beginning of October.

6. Licensing law reform (announced in February) to be advanced as a matter of urgency to meet the needs of heavily challenged night-time venues after they reopen.

7. In the intervening time, reinstatement of ‘late’ opening should happen as soon as possible to create much-needed staggered closing between restaurants, bars and venues, putting less pressure on public transport and increasing public safety. We reject the idea of nightclubs having to become fully-fledged pubs with table service in order to do business. This is not an option for most nightclubs, whose market is post-midnight.

8. Special exemption order fees to be waived entirely for venues currently in possession of a dance licence. This will help these venues as they recover from the last 17 months of shutdown, while entering a new period in time when business will be very unpredictable.

9. Assurance that events and venues will not have to close immediately if COVID-19 case numbers rise in the future. Closures should be an absolute last resort. A tiered scaling back on numbers and closing times, and reintroduction of social distancing, should be explored before any blanket closures.

10. Acknowledgement from the Government that a continued shutdown of events and entertainment venues will result in an upsurge of unregulated events, increasing the chance of the virus spreading this winter. Last winter became house party season, a trend that is becoming an ongoing threat to the entertainment and hospitality industries that may lead to an increased cultural shift over the next year, and further issues in residential areas.

11. Government funded training for event and venue staff to deal with the challenges of enforcing COVID-19 regulations.

12. Clear direction to be given to indoor music venues on ventilation. A grant scheme to aid the cost and installation of required systems should be established.

13. Local authorities to assist venues by permitting the use of adjoining or nearby outdoor space for events. Consideration should also be given to erect weather-friendly marquees and tents in selected areas, diversifying the range of locations that can be used in the evening and at night, and empowering local event organisers to plan ahead with more certainty.

Will no one think about the unvaxxed ‘reveller’?

FIGHT!

Give Us The Night

This afternoon.

South William Street, Dublin 2.

Paul Murphy TD with protestors from ScamBridge and UCD Students Union, speaking to  a member of Grafton Cleaners management and the claim that the company’s use of the new  ‘Work Placement Experience Programme’ to get someone to ‘sort and dry clean clothes’ is akin to free labour.

Sam Boal/RollingNews

From top: Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman; a meeting with Tuam survivor group cancelled

Lawyer and Tuam activist Kevin Higgins writes:

Former Minister for Children Zappone and current Minister for Children  O’Gorman will need to clarify in what capacity members of his Department attended Her Ladyship’s drink party when his office had cancelled – late in the evening just 48 hours earlier – meetings with survivor groups in Tuam (having sought them at short notice to begin with) and yet some of those expected at Tuam – and supposedly quarantining following an alleged outbreak of covid in the office – turned up at Katherine’s Party….

Eamon Ryan’s chief-of-staff and Department of Children secretary general both attended Katherine Zappone’s controversial party (Independent.ie)

Earlier: Merrion In Haste, Repent At Leisure

RollingNews