Author Archives: Bodger

Criminal Courts of Justice, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8

This morning and this afternoon.

Some legal proceedings are continuing at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street, Dublin 8.

How’s that going?

Oh.

Anyone?

UPDATE:

From top: Bedroom at a direct provision centre; letter from Refugee and Migrant Solidarity Ireland to the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan

Today.

The group Refugee and Migrant Solidarity Ireland has written to the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan, calling for “at risk” people who are living in direct provision centres to be relocated from the centres where they say social distancing is “impossible”.

The group also states that they are making the appeal with “some urgency” as it has received reports of possible cases of coronavirus in the centres.

It has also called on centre managers to allow residents to bring food to their rooms because, in some centres, groups of more than 100 people are congregating in dining halls for meals, a situation that is “against Government recommendations”.

Finally, the letter states:

“The State must provide compensation to those with the right to work who have lost their jobs because of this crisis. The DEASP has confirmed that international protection applicants are not eligible for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

“This is unacceptable, especially in the light of reports of some direct provision centres that are forbidding residents to return to the centre if they go to work.”

Meanwhile…

Quarantine Video Number 1.

From Moojoo.

Odhrán Beechinor writes:

A video about quarantine that my pal Danny [Danny Dempsey McMaho] made – this Moojoo is a local hero. Will bring some positive/happy vibes to your readers…

Earlier: No Walk In The Park

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

Swoon.

Is that a testing kit or are you just glad to see me?

*hot sweats*

Earlier: No Walk In The Park

 

This morning.

Pleasants Street, Dublin 8

Minister for Health Simon Harris with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Chief Executive Officer of Alone Sean Moynihan (above right)  at the Alone HQ where Mr Harris and Mr Vardkar paid tribute to the organisation’s staff and the service they provide for older people.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Earlier: Two By Two

No Walk In The Park

Meanwhile…

Two metres?

Hmm.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Clockwise from top left: idris Elba, Placido Domingo, Prince Albert of Monaco, Harvey Weinstein; Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Bernier

You don’t have to be famous to get it.

But it helps.

Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus (The Guardian)

Celebrities with Coronavirus (Syracuse.com)

Pic: Getty

Salthill Promenade, Galway

Yesterday.

On Salthill Promenade in Galway.

Social Democrats Councillor for Galway City East Owen Hanley writes:

“Galway City Council has painted stencils along the prom to make sure you put social distancing into practice. Two metres is more than most people imagine. If the prom is too crowded, go to Silverstrand, Ballyloughane, Barna/Merlin woods, or somewhere further afield.”

Earlier: No Walk In The Park

Mark Geary writes:

New Zealand has a published threat system. They went to Level 3 today and will go to Level 4 on Wednesday.

Australia’s PM said Stage 2 hadn’t been discussed yet, when he was asked what Australia’s Stage 2 was.

Does Ireland have a system like NZ or a dud one like Australia?

Anyone?

Coronavirus: New Zealand has a threat system, here’s how it works and how it will affect you (Stuff)

‘sup?

Donabate, Dublin 17.

Laura Kealy writez:

“Matilda and I are avoiding our usual walking areas as they are far busier than usual, so it’s up the fields we go to social distance!”

Your pet in isolation to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘My Pet In Isolation’.

Health Minister Simon Harris speaking to Bryan Dobson on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland

This morning.

Further to repeated calls from politicians and health experts for people to maintain “social distancing” of two metres, and suggestions that further restrictions on people’s movement will be put in place on account of the coronavirus, Health Minister Simon Harris told Bryan Dobson on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland:

“We did see, over the course of this weekend see scenes of large gatherings, the one in Glendalough perhaps might have been the one that most people were talking about.

“I’m very pleased that the council stepped in there and said ‘look, we can’t properly socially distance here, we’re shutting down the car park, we’re shutting down the food premises. That’s the sort of decisive action that needs to be taken…

“To be very clear to everybody in Ireland today, you need to abide by the social distancing, that means there should be two metres between you and other people.

“If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be operating. Tomorrow the National Public Health Emergency team will meet. We’ve been very clear, myself and the Taoiseach, we won’t be making decisions based on kind of Twitter trends or political populism, we’ll follow the public health advice.

“Tomorrow Tony Holohon’s team will consider if there are further recommendations to be made to Government and I quite frankly expect that it’s likely we’re going to be receiving further recommendations from them…

“…we know that the two metres needs to be abided by and perhaps we know that there are some places where that hasn’t been possible to happen. So perhaps greater guidance in relation to playgrounds and public spaces could be useful as well and perhaps greater supports and guidance for businesses too…”

Meanwhile…

Alternatively…

Paul Cullen, in today’s The Irish Times, reports that 40,000 people across Ireland are waiting for a coronavirus test.

Mr Cullen reports:

The HSE is now acknowledging people are waiting an average of four to five days to get tested; add in at least another two days for the swabbed sample to be processed and results reported back to the patients, and that gives an average delay of a week.

This is bad news for a system allegedly following the World Health Organisation advice to “test, test, test”. It is also of concern that it has taken so long for the system to admit to the delays, after journalists were last week being fobbed off with non-specific answers to their questions.

…The real problem is that the delays in testing are causing knock-on delays in contact tracing, the other essential element in the two-pronged approach used by Asian countries to successfully tackle their epidemics.

…The weekend has been dominated by discourse about a minority of people not observing social distancing rules. In reality, we are more likely to need a lockdown as a result of misfiring testing and contract tracing systems than because people chose to take walks on beaches and in parks.

Coronavirus: Delays in testing and tracing are the real problem (Paul Cullen, The Irish Times)