Tag Archives: Lockdown

Professor Alan Barrett this afternoon

This afternoon.

At a Special Covid Committee meeting in Dáil Éireann.

[Non-medical] Professor Alan Barrett, Director of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) spoke about the possibility of ‘geographical lockdowns’ and ‘surgical interventions’.

He said:

“That notion of having much more sort of targeted lockdowns and, I remember this came up in a discussion that one of my colleagues sitting around the table discussing epidemiology matters was making the point that when you have viruses in animals. OK, it’s very, very clear, you sort of lockdown the group of animals or whatever like that. And you just make sure they don’t move around.

Now at the time it sort of seemed inconceivable that we would think about a human virus in the same way we would think about a virus affecting animals.

But I think, you know, we can actually imagine a situation that geographically, in some shape or form, if a virus could be contained, it would be better to contain one part of the country rather than the whole area or the whole country.

“So I certainly think we should be moving in a direction of having much more sort of surgical lockdowns … surgical interventions to the extent that we can.”

Hmm.

Meanwhile….

Orla writes:

‘I’ve been wondering if people have considered changing where they live because of Covid and in case there’s another pandemic down the road..feels like there might be some kind of virus decentralisation.’

Anyone?

 

Today’s New York Post

Um.

This afternoon.

Via The New York Post:

Meanwhile, the city is welding playground gates closed to keep out children — who barely register as COVID-19 cases, let alone transmit it significantly.

For all the talk of being guided by “the science,” our decision-makers are actually ignoring the science as they play favorites.

The double standard is obvious, and erodes the trust of the public who admirably adhered to this era-changing lockdown. Why believe anything the governor, the mayor or the media tell you when they set one rule for certain people and one rule for others….

Couldn’t happen here, obviously, but still.

FIGHT!

There’s a double standard from pols and the media with protests and coronavirus (New York Post)

Blimey.

This morning.

Dublin city centre

Robbie Coombes tweetz:

The queues outside Penneys is unbelievable, going right around the corner onto Parnell street from Mary Street….

Rollingnews

Meanwhile….

This morning.

Cork City.

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Limerick city.

Former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Professor Karol Sikora

This afternoon.

Former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Professor Karol Sikora has claimed many health practitioners in Britain have been putting Covid-19 down as the cause of death if there has been “any hint” that the virus played a part.

The NHS has reported that over 41,000 people have died in hospitals due to the pandemic and Prof Sikora said this figure could in fact be much less as many are marking it down without proof it was the main cause.

He said the UK’s system of recording deaths caused by Covid-19 was different to places such as Germany. In Germany Covid-19 can only be recorded as the cause of death when the end-of-life care team certifies that this was the case.

“It could end up that more people have died because of lack of medical care directly caused by the unavailability of it, because its facilities have been taken over for Covid.

“If we look at the numbers, how many people have really died from Covid that wouldn’t be dead at the end of the year?

“The numbers vary enormously. The current ONS data suggests 60,000 people have died from Covid. I’m sure that’s not really the case, it’s because of the counting.”

Ireland, anyone?

Coronavirus deaths ‘may be less than half official toll – as docs wrongly mark certificates’, says ex-WHO chief (The Sun)

Prof Karol Sikora: Covid-19 death toll may be less than half of what has been recorded (Telegraph)

Pic: Medscape

 

Yesterday.

Dublin city centere.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Tom Brabazon (top) on Grafton Street and Richard Guiney CEO of Dublin Town (above) in Great Outdoors launching the partial reopening of Dublin City Centre,

Dublin City Council together with Dublin Town, An Garda Síochána and the National Transport Authority are supporting a joint informative reopening campaign called ‘Easing Like Sunday Mornings’.

Via RTÉ

While some large retailers have said they will reopen today, others including Arnotts, Brown Thomas and Penneys have decided to defer for a few more days in order to take additional time to get prepared, following Friday’s announcement that all retailers could resume trade.

Shop owners have warned the shopping experience will be very different to the way it was before the pandemic, with browsing likely to be discouraged in many stores, queuing required and additional hygiene measures in place.

Many businesses to begin opening their doors again (RTÉ)

Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Header h/t: Niall Martin

Minister for finance Paschal Donohoe (top right) and  Minister for Employment Affairs & Social Protection, Regina Doherty, brief the media at Government Buildings this afternoon.

The €350 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will become two-tiered from June 29, with people who were earning less than €200 per week before the outbreak of Covid-19 set to drop to €203 per week.

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty today announced that the payment will continue until Phase 5 of the road map for reopening the economy on August 10, but it will be split from the beginning of Phase 3 in just over three weeks.

Pandemic unemployment payment to be cut for part-time workers from June 29 (irish Examiner)

Rollingnews