This afternoon.
Dublin city centre.
Ahead of Level 3 restrictions expected to be announced by the government this afternoon.
UPDATE:
RTÉ News understands that the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 has agreed to adopt all of the National Public Health Emergency Team’s recommendations – including a move to Level 3 for Dublin and a ban on indoor dining for the capital…
Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 approves NPHET recommendations (RTÉ)
Kilruddery House, Bray, County Wicklow
Last night.
Via The Irish Socialist Republicans (ISR):
Irish Socialist Republicans engaged in a direct action against British Imperialism and Colonialism in Ireland, by highlighting the ongoing robbery of Irish Land by Imperialist Aristocrats.
Anti Imperialists chained shut the gates of the 800 acre Killruddery House and Gardens in Bray Co. Wicklow, and hung a large banner across them that read ‘Dispossess the Robber Barons- Saor Éire Anois!’
Kilruddery is currently in the possession of the self styled ‘Earl of Meath’, Jack Brabazon and his heir, Anthony, the so-called ‘Lord Ardee’.
These people have no right or legal claim to the land. Their British Imperialist titles are an affront to the People of Ireland. Their possession of our land is based on violent robbery during the conquest. Kilruddery and its land belong by right to the Irish People.
Anyone?/Fight!
Top pic Bray.ie
From top: Pre-Covid revelry; Special measures for Dublin
This afternoon.
Legal boffins Dr Oran Doyle and Dr David Kenny are members of the COVID-19 Law and Human Rights Observatory at Trinity College Dublin.
Since the rona outbreak, they have studied the ‘divergence between the announcement of restrictive measures and what is actually prohibited by law’.
You may recall Dr Kenny spoke at a recent Oireachtas Special Covid-19 Committee meeting about possible government overreach and lack of clarity.
Of the new restrictions, Doyle and Kenny write on their blog [at link below]:
It is in relation to the [red marked bullet-point, above] that significant divergence emerges between the Regulations and the Government announcement.
As presented by the Government, this measure prohibits more than two households meeting at any time, whether indoors or outdoors, and with a maximum of six people.
Part of this is included in the regulations and is a legal requirement; a large part is not.
Regulation 5A only applies to events in private dwellings. ‘Private dwelling’ is not defined in the Regulations, but the definition of ‘dwelling’ in the primary statute, which refers to a dwelling including a part of a house, strongly implies that the dwelling is the physical structure in which people live.
It seems to follow that there is no legal prohibition on events in, for example, the gardens of private dwellings.
Still less so is there any prohibition on more than one household gathering in public places outside.
The second way in which the Regulations diverge from the Government announcement is that no numerical limit is placed on the number of people from two households who may gather in a private dwelling.
Moreover, Regulation 5A is not deemed to be a penal provision, meaning that breach of the provision— although unlawful — cannot lead to criminal punishment, nor to enforcement powers for the Gardaí. This was notably termed a “civil offence”, though this is not a term with established legal meaning.
They add:
….it is difficult to read the [red marked bullet point] as an announcement of anything other than legal prohibitions. This impression is then enhanced by the fact that some of the measures contained in that bullet-point are now implemented through legal prohibition, while some are entirely absent from the regulations.
It is hard, without skill in compiling and reading secondary legislation, to know what the law truly requires, and so citizens will inevitably be confused as to what the law is and what they are legally required to do.
All back to mine.
FIGHT!
Top Pic: Eventstock
Bobby Storey: PSNI identifies number of ‘potential’ breaches of COVID-19 regulations at veteran republican’s funeral. https://t.co/vCYwYjnemo
— Belfast News Letter (@News_Letter) September 18, 2020
Great detective work.
Bobby Storey funeral: Mourners asked to attend police interviews (BBC)
Write your own gags, please. pic.twitter.com/2mNEYhon17
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) September 18, 2020
This morning.
Government Buildings, Dublin 2.
An email sent from the HSE to parents of St Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda, Co Louth on Wednesday evening
Last night.
Emma O’Kelly, of RTÉ, reported:
Teachers at one of the country’s largest second level schools have expressed concern at what they say are mixed messages they received from the HSE in relation to being deemed a close contact of a person with Covid-19.
St Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda closed to more than half its students after more than 30 of its teachers were alerted yesterday via the Covid tracker app that they were close contacts of a virus case.
They were advised to begin isolating immediately and to await a call from the HSE to arrange testing.
The alerts came after it was confirmed that a staff member at the school had contracted the virus.
However, while some teachers were tested this morning, others were told by the HSE that they did not have to isolate after all, or do a test, and were free to go about their business.
…The teacher, who is among those who received a close contact text alert, said: “We are all beside ourselves.
“It’s the shock of getting the alert and then being told it’s a mistake without any explanation as to what the mistake is. There is this idea that schools will stay open at any cost. We feel like cannon fodder.”
Meanwhile…
https://twitter.com/davidtobin100/status/1306664516013486089
Anyone?
Concern over confusion surrounding close contacts at Drogheda school (RTÉ)
So many we ran out of time.
Chronic disease specialist and Covid response critic Ivor Cummins aka The Fat Emperor took to the piping hot ‘stool of doom’ this morning (8am) to address YOUR queries.
Even rude ones.
With Vanessa Foran and John Ryan.
CNN report on Sweden mentioned (@28.44) by Ivor here.
Also discussed: Transmission of Epidemic Influenzaby R Edgar Hope-Simpson.
Yesterday: Answer A broadsheet Reader
Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan
This morning.
RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Claire Byrne
The Dublin Bay South TD said that ratings in an opinion poll last weekend were “disappointing”, and that the party needs to “protect and emphasise its identity”.
He said “for the interest of Ireland” the Fianna Fáil party “has to survive“.
“We are centre ground, centre left national party, that wants to reunify the country, build public housing, reward hard work, protect the vulnerable, the Irish language and save our environment.”
He said if the party does not survive, Ireland will have a political system similar to that of the US, the UK and Northern Ireland….
FIGHT!
Now not the time for change in Fianna Fáil leadership – O’Callaghan (RTÉ)
At top: Minister for Justice and Equality Helen McEntee. Above from left: Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE; Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health; and Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group at a Covid-19 update in the Department of Health
This afternoon.
Via RTÉ:
NPHET is meeting today and is expected to make recommendations, which would be considered by the new Covid-19 oversight group this afternoon.
The special Cabinet Covid-19 Sub-Committee is then scheduled to meet tomorrow.
Arising from its discussions it is likely that the Cabinet would then make a final decision later tomorrow evening.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has sad that if NPHET advises further Covid-19 restrictions for Dublin, the Government will respond accordingly.
Any additional Dublin measures would be in place by weekend (RTÉ)
Gary T writes:
If NPHET advises further restrictions the government ‘will respond accordingly’.
Therefore, why the hell do you have go through two oversight committees and a full cabinet before relaying that advice to the public?
Anyone?
