Tag Archives: Lockdown

This morning.

Further to last night’s shenanigans in Limerick…

“I understand this is very difficult, but we cannot see scenes like that happening again.

“It is very disappointing for the people who live in that area but also for everybody else who has been trying so hard over the last year.

“I do firmly believe the end is in sight. We are introducing the vaccinations and we are at a point where we want, in particular this month, to see our numbers coming down so we can start to reopen our society but if we continue to see scenes like this that will not happen.”

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee on the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk earlier.

Ireland will not reopen as planned if we continue to see scenes like last night’s street party (Newstalk)

RollingNews

Alyssa Dooley at Mo’s Irish Pub in Houston, Texas yesterday

Hic.

Last night/this morning.

Via AP:

Texas became the biggest state to lift its mask rule, joining a rapidly growing movement by governors and other leaders across the U.S. to loosen COVID-19 restrictions despite pleas from health officials not to let their guard down yet.

The Lone Star State will also do away with limits on the number of diners who can be served indoors, said Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The governors of Michigan, Mississippi and Louisiana likewise eased up on bars, restaurants and other businesses Tuesday, as did the mayor of San Francisco.

Texas and other states ease COVID-19 rules despite warnings (AP)

Mo’s Irish Pub?

Pic: AP







This afternoon.

Dublin city centre.

Scenes from today’s lockdown protest where 23 people were arrested for public order offences following clashes at the top of Grafton Street. The protest then marched peacefully to to the GPO.

Pics: RollingNews and KN

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

Meanwhile…

Garda taken to hospital as 23 arrested over Dublin disturbance (RTÉ)

Meanwhile…

Update:

This afternoon.

Ringsend, Dublin 4.

Meanwhile…

Almost 60% of people say their mental health has been impacted by the pandemic, with younger people more likely to have experienced recent difficulties with their well-being.

The fifth Social Impact of Covid-19 survey, from the Central Statistics Office, gives an insight into the way people’s lives have changed in the last year.

The research – based on an online questionnaire with 1,621 people earlier this month – shows over 15% said they were downhearted or depressed “all or most of the time”, in the four weeks before the survey.

This compares with a figure of 5.5% in a similar study last April during the first wave.

…Life satisfaction is described as “low” by over 40% of those surveyed.

…Female respondents were more likely to feel lonely or report that their mental health and well-being had been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Nearly 60% say mental health hit by pandemic – CSO (RTÉ)

Darina Allen

This morning.

Chef Darina Allen has defended running cookery classes during lockdown for a group of international students at Ballymaloe Cookery School in east Cork.

Via The Irish Examiner:

The students, who had booked residential places on Ballymaloe’s almost €13,000, 12-week Certificate Course, which was due to start on January 4, flew into Ireland in late December for two weeks of quarantine.

But they were left in limbo when Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced a full level 5 lockdown on December 30, which came into effect the following day. The students were offered the opportunity to join the ‘Ballymaloe Bubble’ after their 14-day quarantine.

Ms Allen said when lockdown was extended at the end of January — by which point the students had been in the country for about five weeks — the school cancelled the 12-week course and decided to offer them a modified course.

Ms Allen claimed Ballymaloe is different to third-level institutions given its residential setting…

Fight!

Darina defends Ballymaloe over lockdown cookery classes (irish Examiner)

Getty

Researchers have ranked the pandemic responses of 180 countries on a ‘stringency map’ by looking at how Covid restrictions have affected schools, offices, social gatherings, international travel and freedom to leave home

This morning.

Each country was scored on a scale of one to 100, with a higher figure indicating the most severe virus-controlling curbs. The numbers represented an average since the start of the pandemic.

Compared to the UK, the Republic of Ireland was the only place in Europe that had stronger lockdown rules (87.96), the study said. Ireland’s rules are similar to England’s but most construction work has been stopped and click-and-collect shopping services are not allowed.

Meanwhile…

Oh.

Meanwhile…

Fight!

Britain’s coronavirus lockdown is one of the toughest in the WORLD with Ireland the only stricter Western nation (Mail Online)

Meanwhile…

‘sup?

This morning.

Like he owns the place.


“Labour has to consider what the lockdowns are doing to people’s minds and to people’s heads….you don’t realise that because you are far removed from what is going on in rural Ireland….do you want to keep them in the wilderness, is that what this is all about?”

This afternoon.

The Dáil at the Convention Centre, Dublin.

Independent Kerry TD Danny Healy Rae rails against the Labour Party’s National Aggressive Suppression Strategy Bill.

Calling it “Zero Covid by another name”, Labour leader Alan Kelly had earlier told deputies:

“We want to suppress and destroy the virus and basically ensure that we get it down so low to double digits that we can give Ireland the chance that 2021 will be different from 2020, because the people are at the end of their tether, and they need it.”

Labour wants Government to admit ‘Living with Covid’ plan is a failure (Irish Examiner)

Meanwhile…

FIGHT!

Ah here.

Come on, Manx.

COVID-19: No masks and no social distancing as lockdown ends on the Isle of Man (Sky News)