Tag Archives: coronavirus

From left: Tánaiste Leo Varadkar; Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Dublin Castle this morning

This afternoon.

Responding to the Government’s ‘Plan for Covid Resilience and National Recovery’, Róisín Shortall, TD and co-leader for the Social Democrats, told the Dail:

“The Government’s message today was confused and it’s confusing for the public. The new plan was supposed to provide clarity about the five different levels of risk, yet on the first day of the announcement this was muddied by having Dublin at ‘level two and a bit.’

“For the Dublin area, where the rates of Covid19 are growing rapidly, there was little clarity provided by the Government in respect of additional restrictions necessary and people are largely left to scramble for basic information.

This is unforgiveable at a time when people are seriously worried and need strong political leadership in respect of the steps they should now take to reduce the risk in the Dublin area.

“There is some detail provided about restrictions at different risk levels, but this is all subject to change within those levels by NPHET.

“No criteria have been set down for categorising counties by risk level and for moving between risk levels. How can the public anticipate restrictions and modify their behaviour in the absence of any information?“

Earlier:  What’s Your Risk-Rate?

Rollingnews

This morning.

PUP will now be open to new entrants to the end of the year.

No restrictions on people coming into country.

More as we get it.

Earlier…


This morning.

Ahead of a government announcement on rona restrictions….

The plan breaks down the threat of Covid-19 on society into five parts from now until late spring.

Level one would involve the least amount of restrictions but level five would be akin to the shutdown of last March. Level three would be broadly similar to the restrictions imposed on Kildare, Laois and Offaly in August.

…The Minister for Health has said that the new measures in the Government’s Covid-19 plan will come into effect from midnight.

Stephen Donnelly said that the virus is growing fast and we need to react accordingly.

Risk-rating Covid-19 plan to be published (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

This morning.

Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

Taxi drivers protesting as part of a nationwide taxi drivers’ demonstration calling for greater government support during the rona. They claim up to 1,500 drivers are taking part in the demonstration in Dublin.

Leah Farrell/Rollingnews

This morning.

A planned discussion on mask-wearing on RTÉ 2FM’s Jennifer Zamparelli Show has been scrapped following criticism on Twitter.

Via Independent.ie:

The presenter sounded clearly wounded on the show, as she announced: “Yes, I put out a tweet without thinking about the words I used,” but she added: “The intention of my tweet was very different to what was interpreted. I wanted your reaction on the weekend [protests].”

The presenter said she understood that her using the word “discussion” had “set off anger and hurt” adding “but to be honest it [anti-mask views] really shocked me, it shocked me as someone wearing a face mask since before we had to.”

“It’s very clear people don’t want this conversation to happen,” she said. “Judging from the reaction, we will not be doing this item today.”

‘An emotional 24 hours’ – 2FM’s Jennifer Zamparelli axes face mask ‘discussion’ due to public outcry (Independent.ie)

Pic: RTÉ

Yesterday: “They Demand The Freedom To Walk Around Without Restrictions – That Is A Tiny Minority View”

Previously: Crunching The Numbers

The Reporting Of Deaths

‘Substantially Less Than The Reported 1,709 COVID-19-Related Deaths’

Saturday’s rally against covid restrictions; Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney.

A tiny minority.

Who MUST be silenced.

This morning.

On Pat Kenny’s Newstalk Show.

Further to Muzzlegate…

“This is a difficult balancing act, I have to say that the people who were involved in that protest do not represent a majority review, in fact they represent a very, very small minority view.

“It is very unwelcome that people are foolhardy enough to think that they can ignore all of the public health advice, all of the doctors that are repeating the message over and over again, of our national public health team at Nphet, and the Minister for Health and the Government messages, they’re ignoring all of that because they see conspiracies in everything, and they just demand the freedom to walk around without restrictions — that is a tiny minority view.”

“I am not happy, most of the people who saw that demonstration on television would have been angered by it, that’s why I’m saying that the Government needs to try to get the balance right between the right to protest and be heard and the law and the regulations and guidelines that we have to protect the public”

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney

Covid-19: Government to discuss right to protest, says Coveney (Irish Times)

Saturday: We Will Not Be Muzzled

Rollingews

Meanwhile…

Oh.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin during an interview with CNN in his office last week

Excellent.

This morning.

Details of the government’s ‘medium term Covid-19 plan’ is due to be published tomorrow,

It will set out ‘five levels of the virus’ and related restrictions that will apply across the country for the next six to nine months.

Via RTÉ

It is understood it is possible that Dublin could be placed on a higher level of the plan due to the prevalence of the disease in the capital.

It is expected that the Government will adopt the National Public Health Emergency Team’s recommendation further limiting visitors to homes in the capital.

That would mean only allowing six people from two households rather than three.

Tomorrow’s plan is also set to provide for a return of spectators to matches, with 500 allowed at club level and 5,000 for a large stadium like Croke Park….

Meanwhile…

…Gardaí are increasing high visibility patrols in Dublin as part of the efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Over the last week, 57% of the new coronavirus cases in the country occurred in Dublin.

To support the public health guidelines and regulations, Deputy Garda Commissioner for Policing and Security John Twomey, said gardaí will be carrying out increased high visibility patrols – across the city and county – with a focus on social distancing, gatherings in large groups and compliance with the use of face coverings.

Government to finalise details of medium term Covid-19 plan (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

This afternoon.

Dublin city centre

Supporters of groups which are opposed to Covid-19 restrictions march from the Custom House, Dublin 1 to Government Buildings on Merrion Street, Dublin 2. A separate rally raising similar issues took place outside the Dáil, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Rollingnews

Update:

A small protest against a claimed ‘right wing agenda’ at the rally is confronted in Kildare Street.

Meanwhile….

A protest outside the offices of The Journal.

Meanwhile…




This afternoon.

A rival, socially distanced demo in ‘defence of public health’ at the Spire, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1.

Rollingnews

Friday: Competing Narratives

Defend Public Health rally this Saturday

Freedom of Choice rally this Saturday

This morning.

Ahead of two separate rallies in Dublin this Saturday.

One opposed to Covid restrictions.

The other urging more restrictions (and calling the first group far right racists).

At the core of these protests are conscious and violent far-right forces. At the ‘Health Freedom Ireland’ protest, a small group of counter protesters were subjected to a violent attack by a larger group which had come prepared with weapons such as hammers.

At the same time, these protests have also been able to draw in a broader section of people who may not even know about the nature of the forces behind the protests.

…lockdown measures have caused real psychological and social hardship which is wearing away at people more and more and this creates and opening for those who try to claim the virus is fake or exaggerated using conspiratorial thinking.

Those views are still rejected by the majority who correctly see that they attack the idea of solidarity.

In recent days, a campaign on social media has tried to promote the idea that the numbers of Covid-19 deaths is massively exaggerated because the majority of those who died had underlying health conditions – an insult to the huge numbers of people who suffer with ill health…

Nefarious peddlers of snake oil: How we can defeat the far right (Conor Payne, The Socialist Party)

Alternatively…

…At some point, the left made a choice. They chose to side with the medical establishment.

They refused to take the position that science itself is a contested field, where conflicting studies and statistical data can be weaponised to suit competing agendas for the justification and implementation of political objectives.

Of course, they only think this kind of weaponisation is happening on the “conspiracy” side of things; the “real science” relied upon to inform Government decisions is always correct.

Why did they choose to side with the ‘man’? Perhaps they desire greater legitimacy. Or, perhaps, they can’t afford to lose any more legitimacy. They have decided to lead the masses from the ignorance of conspiracy theories into the enlightened defense of “public health”.

…As time goes on, the number of people who are likely to question the Government and media’s response to the Covid-19 crisis will increase. In their eyes, the lockdown measures either don’t make sense or are actually intended for malicious purposes far beyond the curtailing of a virus.

This is a broad spectrum and no two people think exactly alike. It’s not too late for the left to consider the question: perhaps these concerns actually have some validity to them?

The Irish Left’s Problem with the Anti-Lockdown Movement (S&TL, Medium)

Earlier: Our Mask Game Is Strong