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THERE ARE REPORTS of a large fire breaking out Wicklow Town this afternoon.
East Coast FM radio station reports that the fire broke out at a derelict factory at the Murrough area of the town.
One local resident told TheJournal.ie that fire engines are at the scene “coming from as far as Arklow to deal with it”.
“Lots of black smoke can be seen from the motorway,” they added.
— Aine (@ainerose) December 22, 2017
Emergency services are at the scene and people are being urged to avoid the area.
In a separate incident, emergency services are at the scene of a car on fire at Cherrywood business park.
It’s understood the fire is causing some visibility issues for drivers, who are urged to take care.
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Two triple vaccinated people can not meet for a drink after 5pm. We’ve lost our minds.
@chinaski: Disgraceful, Covid is ripping through schools but they decide to close pubs, it’s most certainly a prejudice now. They have got to be called out on this just like antigen testing, have this slimey government any backbone
@chinaski: I forsee slot of house parties in the near future.
@James Daly: like last year, and where did that get us, this crowd make things worse
@Paul O Neill: it’s classic Irish conservatism. Blame the boldy pint people sinning in the pubs.
@Paul O Neill: due to covid in schools 7 grand children and their parents are in lockup with 1 complete family of 6 ending up with covid, I have just been passed by about 75/100 school kids going somewhere with their teachers max space between any of them 1.5 ft but according to Gov and nphet schools are safe????
@Paul O Neill: Your point being drinking is more important than education? Also, surely no backbone would just be to go with the popular choice of keeping pubs open like Boris Johnson did? It actually shows backbone for a politician to go against public opinion. I’m not saying it’s the right call, but your arguments are ridiculous
@AndyM: no, my point being the school’s are the problem, what don’t you understand about that?
@chinaski: all credibility in vaccines and the latest boosters will be lost if they buy this latest nonsense from Cervical Cancer Villain, Tony
@James Daly: are you a betting man?
I give up . I have never heard such a ridiculous suggestion in all my life . 5 PM and afterwards Covid is very dangerous. Who is running the Country
@Maurice O Neill: Tony by the looks of it
@Maurice O Neill: its madness…… Its just encouraging house parties instead, a less controlled environment.
@Maurice O Neill: I’m not saying that I agree with a 5pm cerfew at all but that is a deliberately obtuse interpretation.
Nobody is saying that Covid only comes out at 5pm – it’s obvious that people getting drunk in busy pubs and totally forgetting social distancing is a potential hot-spot for the spread of the virus.
If pubs close at 5pm, it is far less likely that this will be an issue as pubs will not be heaving with drunk people in the afternoon.
As I said, I’m not agreeing with the suggestion but please stop with the deliberate childish interpretations.
@Maurice O Neill: Not the point. Ridiculous statement to say Covid doesn’t spread after 5 pm. Pubs and restaurants usually are packed by 9 pm to closing. This new advice is to prevent that.
@Lee King Buckett: wrong.. Pubs will be heaving in the afternoon all through xmas over this curfew.. And people will head on to partys then..
@Lee King Buckett: The evidence does not back your assertion. 12,000 cases on Dec 11th figures suggest home transmission compared to 500 from a social setting. Anyone I know in the last 2-3 months including my sister and her family have got the virus from the schools.
@Lee King Buckett: If pubs are that big an issue then why aren’t we closing the schools which are a bigger issue.
@Maurice O Neill:
It is the virus not the government or Tony which is causing yhis…
Cummins made a comment about why booster not part of cert… while he has a very valid point, let’s be very clear, loads of pubs did check for certs.. this is part of the reason this action is being taken
@Lee King Buckett: can you provide evidence for that assertion or is it ‘just a feeling’ like the way all recommendations from Tony are?
@David O’Reilly: To all of the above comments, I’ll say again – I’m not saying that I agree with a curfew or that it will make any difference at all.
I’m simply saying that it is deliberately childish and nonsensical to say that a curfew is being considered because someone thinks COVID only spreads after 5pm.
@Anne Busher Collins: Hospitality is not the problem schools are. Penalising an industry that’s been on its knees for two years is disgraceful. NPHET know it the information is there for all to see. A 5pm closing will only see people going out early and house parties happening. If anything you will probably have more going put now. If they really want to curtail cases close schools now and extend their holidays for an extra two weeks. Unfortunately NPHET’S serious anti alcohol rhetoric and hatred of the hospitality industry is coming to the fore again with no evidence to support it.
@Jerh O Donovan: I doubt it’s Tony if it was him the pubs would be closed all day 5pm is a compromise between government NPHET and VFI to keep money flowing into the coughers government would say 5pm close so also some staff can be employed also. The VFI are happy because they have been seen to do they’re bit. NEPHET not so happy but 5pm is a compromise. The government are looking at it from a monetary perspective while NPHET a health.
@Maurice O Neill: It’s for your own good unfortunately. Masks, social distancing, vaccines, boosters, lockdowns, covid passports, banning unvaccinated from indoor socialising, hand sanitising, closing pubs, meaningful Christmas, 11 euro meals, flattening the curve, circuit breaker lockdowns, the next 2 weeks are critical, queueing outside shops 2km limits, 5 km limits, Garda checkpoints. None of this worked. Throwing more madness at the problem probably won’t work either but by God they’re going to give it a bash.
@Declan Doherty: because the virus summersaults higher after a few pints ha
@Declan Doherty:
Cause closing schools puts huge pressure on the health system. They need there kids looked after while working
@Lee King Buckett: Its childish, nonsensical and naive to say or actually believe that people will stop after 5pm. It won’t it will end up in uncontrolled settings. The fact that hospitality is not the problem makes this ridiculous 5pm closing even more nonsensical.
@Lee King Buckett: True but it’ll be just back to someone’s house for a few beers after you get turfed out of the pub.
@Declan Doherty: simple. Children have a constitutional right to education. Pubs and restaurants aren’t protected by the constitution, they are open under permission from the government.
@Marky Mark: don’t mention the schools, we can’t mention the schools
@Lee King Buckett: pubs might just be heaving from 12 to 5pm.
@Declan Doherty: nobody to mind the health care workers or other frontline people’s children
@aidanshaw: the government can only do so much. After that people need to take responsibility for themselves and for society. You say this will result in pubs “heaving in the afternoon and house parties later”. Well the people who do that are irresponsible and unlikely to be the sort of people who have followed any of the government advice so far. The government’s job is to do what’s right for the public. But we need to do what’s best for ourselves in a global pandemic too.
@Gerry McCaughey: Agreed that we need to do our part but the govt have been found wanting in regards to doing whats right for the public. Failure to prepare schools for the new school year with Delta, now there’s Omicron (cases were on a downward trajectory until schools opened. 5-12s now 21% of cases). Failure to adopt antigen tests until now. (Could have caught alot of asymptomatic people stopping alot of spread). Failure to see whats happening in other countries (UK/Israel) and react in ours before the inevitable happens here too…… They were afraid to tackle the problem in primary schools and now hospitality, and society, will suffer again. Cant fathom why restaurants need to close. You’re sitting at a table of 6 maximum who are all vaxd for a set time.
@Maurice O Neill: It’s in the schools that it’s being spread!! The only people that ‘I’ know of who are getting it are teachers, parents and grandparents! Closing everything at 5 pm is madness!
@Declan Doherty: are pubs as important as schools? Depends on how you went to school!
@James Daly: I was going to comment on this story too James. But you nailed it. Best comment I’ve read on here, ever.
@fintan doyle: Yes they are. What people like you seem to forget they are peoples livelihoods. They are not all large Weatherspoons. The majority in towns, cities and villages are family owned. People who depend on their business to pay the bills. People who’s businesses have been decimated, more so by government and NPHET then covid, over the last two years. To close schools today and maybe add an extra two weeks holidays is not going to have a serious impact on children’s education. To say so is ridiculous. As for working parents surely they have someone on hand if needed. Children get sick unexpectedly all the time, accidents happen. I doubt they are leaving it to chance should problems arise.
@Paul Hedderman: I agree with a lot of what you said. I also think that restaurants should be left alone. Schools are the largest group of cases but other than keeping windows open there isn’t a whole lot you can do short of closing them. It’s a hard call regarding schools, I think that kids suffer more than most from being in lockdown and since they’re unlikely to get ill from covid most countries are doing what we’re doing and keeping them open by using pods and ventilation etc. As it happens we have been well on top of delta but until we know how the hospitals will be affected by omicron I can understand the government erring on the side of caution. We’ll know soon by England but we’re not alone in introducing restrictions for next week. Denmark and Norway are doing similar
@Jerh O Donovan:
Thankfully not you or your thumbs up lackeys.
@Maurice O Neill: it’s nothing about covid being after a certain time its about curving contacts to slow the spread people really are unbelievable
@aidanshaw: well that’s what causes the need for early closures if people were bit more sensible about it and actually took it seriously then we might get out of this quicker
Why shut places that only allow those who are vaxxed in?! I thought the point of the vaccinations was to prevent this. Why are gyms and public transport and packed shopping centres safe after 5?!
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: lying about the quantity of “breakthrough cases”.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue:
Pubs haven’t been very compliant, most have been great but is a sizeable number which have been quite lax…
Supermarkets are essential and are better vented with higher roofs…
Last year we got an explosion and had a four month lockdown… I am sorry but We were advised that would happen and we ignored it last year…
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: This is the question that needs to be asked today, such a letdown if Govt agrees to it
@Cowboy Ted: sadly the same will happen again. People think that because omicron is possibly less serious its over. Spreading faster possibly less severe, if 1% of infections end up in hospital and we have a rush in infections. 500,000 infections could mean 5000 end up in hospital.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: because people wear masks there and don’t get drunk.
@barry moore: there are 4 to 5000 cases a day, not 500,000
@Tracktrack: Wearing masks is a questionable statement, maybe 1 in 4 wearing them correctly if at all from my POV. People go to pubs to socialise and not just “get drunk”, not everyone is out to go bananas.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: covid passes still make sense huh
@Cowboy Ted: But only vaccinated folk are allowed into pubs or restaurants, so why restrict them when 96% of adults are already vaccinated?! Wonder if NPHET had meetings every day for 2 years about how to improve the health service where we’d be with that.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: the nature of people behaviour in these places I’d imagine
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue:
Cause Pubs have not been compliant.. There is many of them not checking certs and following the tracing… Most are being very good…
Definitely think we need to close the primary schools today and look at keeping them closed for an extra two weeks of January for non-essential workers children…
The main problem we have is Northern Ireland, we are totally defenseless to the UK, any hope of containing this virus is non existent… We are basically running on Boris rules and he doesn’t give a flying F….
I know people will be upset but Tony warned us last year and we ignored him and how did that work out? We might have to cop on a bit more this year… We couldn’t go through another 5 months of what we got last year…
@Cowboy Paddy: If most are following, then only a small few aren’t. Try go into the city without being asked for your cert. Loads of us are going up North spending our money up there instead of here now because they don’t have restrictions. Crazy decision.
@Cowboy Ted: But hospitality wasn’t the culprit then either. I’m sure the figures are still available on the HSE website. It was down to closing for 6 weeks in the run up to xmas. Pubs were closed at three.
@Franny Ando: And remember it was only suppose to be for a few weeks it lasted till May.
@Cowboy Paddy: Tony has been miles out with his predictions all year how this man garners any credibility whatsoever with all the f ups he has made in the past beggars belief, what makes this any different. I have always been amazed how when Tony wants something the numbers always go through the roof if he doesn’t get his way I won’t be one bit surprised if it happens again. Big difference last year nobody was vaccinated this year everybody is bar a few where is the out, does he actually want an out or is he thriving on his power,
Thank god they kept us locked up during the summer while the rest of Europe was free and our incidence was low, so that we could “open up and stay open”.
@Laura Walsh: Great point and good to play back these statements. We had a sweet spot of high vaccination and low transmission during the summer and live entertainment was dessimated at a crucial time. These kind of decisions (including this 5pm one) lack balance and are a slap in the face. Ultimately though they will jeopardize trust in future public health plans like further vaccination roll outs etc.
@Laura Walsh: would u rather the alternative of what the UK have on there hands
@Sean Mccabe: I’d rather we hadn’t spent the best part of 20 to 30 years decimating our healthcare service. Our current Taoiseach overseen a dramatic reduction in hospital beds during his time as minister for health. Our Tánaiste is on record stating that more healthcare staff equals less productivity. Neoliberal healthcare has faced its first serious challenge and it has failed miserably.
@Laura Walsh: yes and I agree with alot of that but for as of here and now that can’t be fixed over Xmas and like it or not there’s a potential for a huge number of infections over Xmas.look at last year we were fully open and everyone let rip ,as a result we endured a 6 month lockdown and 3000 unnecessary deaths.il take closing pubs early over thst scenario again anyday
@Sean Mccabe: cop on man. This and last Xmas are totally different. There wasn’t a vaccine to be seen in Ireland last year, this year we are one of the most vaccinated countries on the planet (3rd in Europe and top 10 in the world). This is a NEPHET /HSE solution to their failure to build a 21st century health system, with sufficient beds and wards for our population, outside of any Pandemic. They are making us suffer because of that. Simple. Bad management and bad practises.
@Peter Murray: there wasn’t the omicron variant last Xmas either.vaccines alone won’t stop transmission so reducing social mixing is a necessary evil
@Sean Mccabe: the omicron variant is being blown out of all proportion maybe you should watch the interview with the SA CMO that the BBC did who can’t understand the hysteria in Europe over this
Members of Nphet would want to get out from behind their desks and venture out into the real world. Pubs and restaurants are not the causing the virus to spread so quickly and all they are doing is destroy people livelihoods and lives
@Roy Dowling: Tony hates drink, and fun
@Roy Dowling: Well said .
@Gavin Morrissey: Not only Tony, FFG hate fun. That’s why we’re the Saudi Arabia of Europe when it comes to cannabis seizures and prosecution.
@Tomo: good man let’s smoke our way out of the pandemic 3 blunts a year
@Gavin Morrissey: on record too!!
Is there any real data to show that it’s the pubs and restaurants being open that’s causing high numbers?
Also, if everyone who goes into the pubs and restaurants has been vaccinated why is there a problem?
@aidan mccormack: don’t ask questions… trust the ‘science’!
@aidan mccormack: No but the data is on the website to show they are mot the problem.
@Franny Ando: not
@Franny Ando: But Tony doesn’t like pubs so take it like sheep
Time to give Holohan and Reid the boot. Two fat cats doing way more harm than good. They’re driving the gravy train now and laughing all the way to the bank.
@Travis O Bickle: They give ADVICE to the Government, it is up to the GOVERNMENT as to whether they follow it.
@Anne Busher Collins: show me the science behind closing at 5 while schools remain open.
@Anne Busher Collins: Reid RUNS the hse, and has not in anyway demonstrated why he should be on the wages he is. 455k a year for being in charge of a shambles of a service.
@Travis O Bickle: Ask the lads in the Netherlands, it was their approach as well. Also, NPHET are laughing all the way to the bank? Care to explain?
@Travis O Bickle: 100% correct
@Football in the Groin: Check their vaccination rates a lot lower then hours. No sensible reason to this suggestion no matter what way you try to twist it.
@Anne Busher Collins: They’re the unelected mudguard for the Govt. Have the last 50 years of politics taught you nothing?
@Football in the Groin:
You know NPHET gets paid the same amount no matter what advice they give…
Please keep the conspiracy theories to a limit
@Cowboy Ted: And yet Tony has set up Leo by telling him on Monday that there would only be small tweaks and then shafts them today.
@Cowboy Ted: No they are getting extra for being on NPHET so the longer they are there the more they get also DeGascun has the sole licence for pcr testing in the country would you not at least see a little conflict of interest there
@Travis O Bickle: Lol! pints over education.
Most pubs outside towns and cities wouldn’t be open before five and depend on late evenings and night trade. This would cripple them .
@Denis White: This is 100% for most rural pubs.
@Denis White: there will be a good few closed for good, it will be very sad to see.
@Denis White: and no doubt wage subsidies or pup not available as technically they haven’t closed them..sneaky you know what.
Sound bites being put out of booster requirements, so getting fully vaccinated before winter was pointless. May aswell of boiled some 7-up and lit a candle.
Right, enough is enough. This is where the vintners association and the equivalent for hotels, restaurants etc need to take a stand. They should issue a strong statement this morning categorically stating that they will not be closing at 5pm (or any other such nonsense). They have the support of the whole country being them.
@Joe Ivers: will the country stand behind them when they lose their licences?
@Joe Ivers: Definitely but it’s frightening that the publicans are literally in fear of going against the government because they’ll fine them and strip them of their license and essentially rip their livelihoods away if they don’t conform. Our government is like a mafia family, it’s a case of do as I say or we’ll destroy you and here’s some money to keep you sweet.
So basically a lockdiwn but just not calling it a lockdown. 2 years in & same old ding dong. More to come.
@Hear me now: closer to 3 years now maybe
@Hear me now: exactly how is it a “lock down” maybe a post 5pm lock out – but you are not being asked to stay at home behind closed doors – and, in truth, Irish people do not know what a real lockdown means, we have never even been under a curfew, which is a stay at home at certain times, we have always had our exercise space and no time restriction. How about we stop calling some measures a lock down as it does a disservice to those who were locked behind closed doors in other countries. Pubs and restaurants are very very very low down a priority list of services and do not get on any list of essential services. I am not saying I agree with a 5pm closing but stop calling it a lock down please.
@Colm Molloy: it hasn’t even been 2 years. How is it close to 3?
Its time nephet went away
I suspect it’s the patronising good cop, bad cop routine again . 5pm from the bad guys and then Leo will sneak out to say 9pm and we will rejoice …
@Freddie Rincon: we need to call them out on that when it happens. Constantly flying flags and then saying here are the new set of restrictions and they are not as bad as you expected- aren’t we great!
And then they wonder why people are reluctant to get their booster shot. Get vaccinated and we can open up the country. Great including myself vaccinated x 2. Only vaccinated people allowed into pubs restaurants etc now get a booster but we’re going to essentially close half the pubs restaurants in Ireland that don’t open before 5. What next we get the booster they close the other half and lock us down until the next booster then the next varient and another booster etc when does this all end ….
Tony has Micheal by the cahones. In the unlikely event that the government stands up to nphet and there is a big surge. Tony will be waiting n January with a big smirk on his face saying I told ye so lads, ye should have followed my advice. The leaks to the media was no accident. They have gone mad with power. But 1 thing for sure is that no matter what decisions they make or how many businesses they close. They won’t lose one days wage.
@Dave Johnston: that’s not true, Michael doesn’t have a pair.
“Vaccines are our way back to normality”
Effectively the Christmas lockdown we were all talking about for weeks.
Prioritising schools over businesses yet again. I feel very sorry for anyone in the hospitality industry. We need better leaders then this.
Remember it was all over a few months ago. Good times.
This needs to stop.
The church must be so jealous, they never had this kind of power.
@Sean Nihill: what’s the church in all this?
Makes perfect sense. My the time the kids are finished school (schools are safe), get home, do their homework and get dressed for a session, pubs will be closed for them. Covid will be gone by New Year. Not complicated really
@Daniel O’Connor: tip of the hat sir , that was very funny : )
This is nearly worse than eating After Eights at 7pm.
@Fi Wyse: it’s always after eight. No matter what time of the day it is!
11-5 = safe from covid drink time
5 – 11 pm = NOT safe from covid drink time.
What or who came up with this master stroke of sorcery?
@Finbar Delaney: How can you not understand the reasoning behind it at this stage? The longer people drink, the drunker they get. The drunker they are, the more likely they are to take risks (just takes 2 drinks to impede your decision making skills) and start forgetting or not bothering to follow the usual guidelines like social distancing, hand hygiene, coughing etiquette, etc., etc. People get messy and are all over each other. Also, the more drunk people, the bigger the strain on Emergency Departments. It was the same with the €9 meal. If people eat a substantial meal when they drink, they’re less likely to get plastered.
@FrustratedASDMum:
You’re obviously not great at maths? “The longest people drink”
When I went to school 1100 – 1700 = 6hours.
1700 – 2300 is ALSO 6hrs.
Please explain to me how opening the pubs for 6 hrs between 1100/1700 is deemed to be ok, but 1700/2300 is not?
In fact I’ll go one further, they’re arguably making things worse, because people are more likely to head to someone’s home in the early hours of the evening (1800 or so) than they are in the early hours of the morning (midnight on)
Some of you know this is a brain turd, but won’t admit it.
Either lock the place down or don’t, this is half baked scutter
@FrustratedASDMum: Most pubs are not opening until after 5pm….if they have to close at 5pm…..most will effectively be closed down. Yes again the hospitality industry is paying the price. It’s the most regulated business in Ireland (bar a very tiny minority and people should stay away from them and they’ll soon cop on). There has NEVER been a spate of COVID out breaks in pubs, restaurants or coffee shops. There has been at live sport, music events, schools, colleges, factories and illegal gatherings (watched and broken up by Gardai, with no arrests).
Hospitality is an easy target. As a coffee shop owner I’m such and tired of it.
Thanks Tony I feel so much safer with your dictatorial love. Why did I come home.
Half of the pubs in Galway OPEN at 5pm. NPHET’s recommendation that pubs CLOSE at 5pm, if implemented, would likely mean some of these pubs would never open again.
The vaccines aren’t working to stop the spread. So it doesn’t make a jot of a difference whether pubs are checking for passes or not. We would still he in the same boat if all the pubs were complying.
Unfortunately the pubs in particular have done this to themselves. I have forced myself into researching the compliance levels of pubs with the checking of Covid certs, hand sanitising facilities etc and asked friends around the country to do the same. Some premises are fully compliant but unfortunately the majority either do a quick half hearted check or nothing at all. This is common knowledge and indeed their are pubs where the owner and members of the family want to be shut so that they can start claiming the PUP again. Sad but true.
@JG: given the first four lines you’ve written there, I doubt you have friends around the country….forced myself into researching compliance levels…..lol
@JG: I forced myself as well, went into every pub I could. Sure someone had to do it.
@JG: you should publish your ‘research’ so! Get a life
@JG: Today in things that didn’t happen……! Certs checked everywhere i live, which is one of the largest towns in the country. What i would say is that if someone was walking into a particular pub/restaurant behind me they might see me not getting checked and assume the establishment was lax, where in fact I would often eat there, the staff are known to me on a personal level outside of the business, my covid cert was checked when it was introduced therefore they know I’m vaccinated, so why go through the rigmarole of asking for it again and again?? I’m sure this applies to regulars and locals to many businesses
@JG: That a load of bull sh it.
@JG: this has been the policy, put the blame on everyone else- personal, establishments etc. This has been blown open now though. Surveys predicted 80% would have a quiet Christmas yet they are still ploughing forward with these measures. Something is going to give soon and it might be a few shop windows.
@JG: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/surveillance/covid-19outbreaksclustersinireland/covid-19outbreaksclustersinirelandweeklyreports2021/COVID-19%20Weekly%20Outbreak%20Report%20Week%2049%202021%20Web%20v.1.pdf
One outbreak related to pubs in the last month! I think your anecdotal research is kind of anecdotal. But hey, lay the hate on the pubs if it makes you feel smug.
Is Tony secretly SF electoral manager? If so, he’s doing a great job!
Joke of a country, NPHET are like the Gestapo destroying all before them. 5pm closing makes no sense whatsoever, if you were to go for a few drinks before 5pm, them your day is ruined once you get home. So either close them altogether, or leave things as they are.
@The Firestarter: people drunker earlier with nowhere to go only a house party. Will the police be patrolling housing estates up and down the country to ensure there are no more that 3 households meeting in the one house?
Sure, just refuse to leave the closed pub at 5pm. That’ll show them.
@JustBEERbarry: Like that loon on the plane thinking he could do the same.
@Paul Cunningham: I think we need a small bit of perspective, this isnt another lockdown, we never had a lockdown on the scale of Spain, Italy or China. We had restrictions imposed at best. Restrictions on pubs, not 2km travel, not 5km travel, not intercounty travel. Perspective.
@JustBEERbarry: where I live every pub in the town is visited by the guards between midnight and 12:30 on a nightly routine to ensure they are empty. Same will happen at 5pm I imagine.
@Tina Kelly: my original comment was very much tongue in cheek, Tina.
@JustBEERbarry: exactly lockdown in Spain meant lockdown, no going out for your 5k walk, children never went out in public for 3 months, essential journeys only with proper paperwork
So An Taoiseach Eile is proposing we go home from Restaurants and Pubs at 5 pm !
Why is this being leaked as I thought NPhed reported to the Government first and then our elected leaders made a reasoned decision.
Also up with all these talking head experts on Radio putting the frighteners into everyone and causing uncertainty. Peoples businesses and jobs are being trashed on rumours and doom predictions.
The UK also has a big similar problem and Prof Whitty has caused huge damage.
Let the Elected Government run the country.
The lunatics really are running the Asylum.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Holohan is nothing but a flat track bully and needs to be given his marching orders. Remember when they said that when they open hospitality they wanted to keep it open? These tyrants and MM don’t have a breeze what there doing. Reminds me of that time Sam Alardyce was in charge of Newcastle and the irate fan shouting “ You don’t know what you’re doing”. Total shambles.
This government has to go.
I can’t wait to have a nice romantic dinner at 3.30 pm!
Who in the name of God are the Clowns who voted for Michael and Leo to run a Country. Absolute tools.
This Government is making a right b###s of this
@Derek Moean: you will find its not the government that is spreading the virus
@barry moore: No its schools.
@Derek Moean: true to form. They make a *%^+*# of everything they go near. Look at the healthcare system, housing crisis, soaring living costs.. there’s literally not a sector being done right. Not one. This is what happens when you have a bunch of primary school teachers in charge. No offence to teachers, but I wouldn’t call a carpenter to fix the pipes, same as I wouldn’t get teachers to run the country. Especially not ones who literally got into politics for high salaries and an early retirement.
@Rob Gale: Well Said.
@barry moore: it’s the government that have failed to increase the number of ICU beds the last 12 months
@James Beattie: ICU bed numbers have increased by 50% in the last 18 months and 10% in the last 12 months.
@GrumpyAulFella: this fact is ignored as it doesn’t suit their anti everything narrative. God forbid they taught about someone else before themselves.
@Rob Gale: Well said.
@GrumpyAulFella: no they have not they are just counting private hospital ICU beds in that. If what you said is true how did McNamara get away unchallenged when he said only 1 extra ICU bed in that time
Micheal Martin , the two times Taoiseach. Closed down Christmas twice. The Scrooge Taoiseach
Was in Dublin Castle Xmas markets earlier this week. Completely packed in a small enough square and no covid certs being checked. But let’s close pubs who do check. Government is all over the place.
So Covid now doesn’t exist before 5 pm??
@Olwyn Colvin: it is does but more people come out after 5pm
Why not let the pubs go 24 hours a day, spread the people out instead of condensing them.
5 pm closing will be the death knell for some small communities.
We now must live with 4000 to 5000 cases a day like we used to deal with 2000 to 3000 cases a day.
We are being careful and the virus is still moving.
Maybe the cases are coming from somewhere else, like the schools .
The people are doing enough.
Wexford general hospital has not one extra bed since this pandemic and it’s restrictions landed 2 or 3 years ago.
Good man MÍCHEÁL shut everything down at 5pm send them all off the house parties and shebeens Good man yourself.
Literally lost for words!
Schools are a child minding enterprise. That’s why they ignore the huge transmition rates and won’t close them. It would cause a huge burden for business if kids were to be minded at home. These absolute m. Orons have no clue how to deal with this. They’ll close everything and then tax everything to get us out of the mess.
Tipping point day today.. Its very clear to see.. So many people outraged by the possibility of this, even those who were ultra compliant and supportive of all previous Lockdown measures and vaccine rollout.
Bottom line is this, if the Government goes along with the NPHET nonsense, even with the NPHET models for December again being miles off the mark, people will finally say enough is enough and what was the point of getting vaccinated and sacrificing last Christmas also!?! The Booster rollout will be buried by tomorrow
Not one extra ICU bed the last 12 months. This is the root of the problem. A total mismanagement
@James Beattie: ICU bed capacity has increased by 50% since the start of the pandemic and about 10% in the past 12 months. Making more beds for sick people isn’t going to address the problem.
@GrumpyAulFella: BS and well you know it. We were promised over 440 icu beds by end of this year. We are still at 300
You are part of the problem, defending these frauds
@GrumpyAulFella: The beds that were due this year have not materialised. It was announced by Reid and Donnelly they wouldnt be available till the middle of next year. There was even an article on here about it.
But sure only people out of vaccinated so what’s the problem lol
Would they Ever shag off
Coppers opening at midday so…..
Absolutely ridiculous proposal
So we can’t live with covid with a vaccine and we can’t live with covid without a vaccine, people are going to question taking any more jabs if it means we still have to live in a heavily restricted country. Two years in and they still think the solution is to close businesses, I don’t see people putting up with this anymore.
What a joke 5pm closing time you may as well not open fed up
Oh yes and it looks like the few remaining FF supporters are all on here this morning
As much as I dislike lockdowns etc I really don’t think people are getting the key aspects of this.
Firstly this is a recommendation that the govt have yet to consider or act upon. NPHET have no other motive but only the sake of the health of the country.
Nothing is said that covid is only transmitted at certain times but the point of having a certain cut off time is to prevent people gathering and spreading (knowingly or unknowingly) the virus. Look around Europe. Countries have and will bring this 5pm measure in I.e Netherlands, France, Belgium to name a few.
Without booster, a double jabbed AstraZeneca has little to no protection against the new strain. Similar with single shot Jansen. Pfizer I believe it’s around 35% mark (not 100% on exact figures but it’s in and around that).
@Ciaran: I think you really need to take another look at NPHET Do a biit of research on Holohan and his opinion on alcohol then you will see the reasoning behind this “suggestion”. As for Netherlands, France etc they have a far lower % vaccinated then this country. Also the hospitality industry not the problem but unfortunately thatbis being ignored.
@Franny Ando: as per my above point, without a booster you are no longer fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated term should be changed to include booster. Without booster you are almost like no vaccine – hence the urge to get a booster.
His view on alcohol stating that alcohol is a negative to society ? How is he wrong ? Form a health perspective, look at an A&E before lockdown on the weekends and arrest rates during late night hours due to alcohol and tell me where he is wrong ? His view on alcohol is really irrelevant in this conversation anyway. This isn’t alcohol.
And he is one person in NPHET. He is the head representative delivering the group decision.
@Ciaran: Well why haven’t they focused on the area where the majority of cases are coming from. The dogs in the street know its schools but they are being completely ignored. No one wants to tackle it. We were constantly told they were “safe”. Nothing was done about ventilation and it still hasn’t been addressed properly. If he wants to tackle the problem go to the cause not penalise an industry that’s not responsible. His view on alcohol is the problem because its always his major focus irrespective of anything else.
@Ciaran: NPHET have another motive it’s called covering up for the crappy heath are system they have presided over for the last 2 years and done nothing about. Also vaccine efficiency means nothing if it doesn’t stop you getting it or spreading it. It only helps vulnerable people from getting the worst effects, the vast majority of people don’t need this at all
Ah this is beyond ridicul0us. Give it up NPHET. Bl00dy grinches.
Death by a thousand cuts .
Bend over people,sure it’s only for the good of all.
It won’t make a blind bit of difference to the numbers surely if they shut earlier, why punish this industry even further?! And for those of us working so much the last month and beyond, looking forward to a meal out (finally), finishing work after 6pm etc and having nothing open? I don’t know, I don’t know how they’re making these recommendations and not seeing the bigger picture. :(
The leaks are already happening, sleepy is running his mouth off about how “We can still have a social christmas”
@Derek Lyster: I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of that f00ls mouth.
Cabinet need to tell NPHET to cop on, it’s gone beyond a joke at this stage. Every man and his dog knows where the cases are coming from and it’s not the already restricted and controlled pub and restaurant environment. Close the darn schools early, that’s the problem environment.
This is the same schtick as the 50% capacity at concerts and theatres. Telling them to cancel would make Hooligan look bad, so he just made them unviable instead, and then he can turn round and say “I didn’t tell you to cancel”. So this is a way of closing restaurants without telling them to close.
This government are lazy, have not come up with one good plan for housing, hospitals, mental health.
A safe prediction: Micheal Martin will want to comply with all the new NPHET recommendations without hesitation. Pushback from FG will be insufficient. Pointless to even watch the 6pm podium sermon.
Restaurant I booked for Saturday opens at 4pm. They know businesses will be ruined .
Ere we go again
I’m really sorry for hospitality but like I have said before I have not seen a hepa filter or even an open window in many /most of the premises I’ve been in . This need for proper ventilation needs to be mandated for as next winter this virus at some level will be still here . We are nearly tops in Europe for cases per 1,000 so we have to ask why , despite also having one of the highest vaccination levels . Ventilation or lack of it is driving this . It’s time to install it as standard . It’s all in the air and we need to get the air sorted . open windows and doors at a minimum is not even seen on my journeys . Some doing great work but it has to be all in this potentially super spreader environment with an even more transmissible variant . Awful but true and it’s the virus to blame
We handed our health and safety (effectively our lives) over to the government whether people realised it or not. Now we are outraged they do not want to give them back. Seriously!!!!!?
what a load of “perceived as toxic” expletives. it’s basically designed to close pubs without closing them so they don’t have to pay PPE. Very political, not very scientific and totally wrong. Close them or don’t, enough sitting on the fence
@David Ahern: If this affected the civil servants they would not push for it.
Time to get the Homebrew kit up and running.
The biggest concern regarding the spread is primary schools at the moment. It seems like they are skirting around the elephant in the room. If they can address that it may help alleviate somewhat. Hammering the hospitality sector again is lazy
It’s social drunkenness that they are afraid of…
It won’t make a difference. Don’t they remember last year locking down for Christmas and come 1st of January we hit the highest number of testing people in a day than we had since the beginning of the pandemic.
Just got booster last week and pubs closing at 5pm. The world is going mad.
Half day from work so
This Is shambolic!
It’s clear the NPHET lot have had the power they’ve accumulated over the last 21 months go straight to their head with this recommendation. Sack them all. This is beyond a joke.
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better be good
I’m telling you why
NPHETS Claws are coming to town
They see you when your sleeping
They know when your awake
They know when you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Altogether now!
If the government go in full with these proposals they will sign their own warrant. Pure over the top madness
@Eamonn Byrne: If only that we’re true but we must be one of the most weak willed, servile nations on earth. FFG can inflict as much pain, misery and incompetence on as they like and not only will we accept it but we’ll vote them back in and ask for more.
Ha ha, you’ve all been had.
It’s wrong to treat the whole of the hospitality sector the same way. We all know that while many businesses in that sector observed the guidelines to the letter. They checked everyone entering onto their premises for their vaccine certs and proof of ID. Unfortunately many in that sector didn’t bother. They made a joke of the guidelines and in some ways they were supported by elements in the media. Regular inspections should be carried out on all premises and those who are found to be in breach of the regulations should be closed and fined. Anyone found on premises without a valid
vaccine certificate should also be fined and if in possession of a certificate not issued to them then they should face a court appearance. Don’t punish those who kept to rules.
Not to mention the weirdness of this possibility, but weren’t nphet not meant to leak stuff before the government made devising since like a week ago?
@Roisin Brennan: rules are only for the likes of us not the likes of them
Thank God it’s only advice and the Government are sensible . No worries lads.
Crazy!
Refuse to close, refuse to engage with this nonsense
Is there anything to be said for closing the pubs Ted?
Wont happen, pubs out here don’t open until 5!! Lol…
So encouraging people out at 12 in the morning drinking and off to house parties full at 8pm. What a joke
Disgraceful behaviour Why are Nephet doing that .All people are vaccinated and got the booster shot so they are damning all of us .
Don’t discuss! It’s a ridiculous idea
Does covid only come after 5pm
@Pauline Cahill: only comes out at night?
Covid is a vampire virus!!!!
Well people are going to more hose parties now and I would not blame them so angry over this situation.
Why not open from 5 till 10 instead?
Or 6 to 11?
Just an idea
@Nollaig Kelly: to reduce numbers socialising after work
Well people are going to more hose parties now and I would not blame them so angry over this situation.
@Angela Godfrey Maher: I think they would be going to house parties after 10pm anyway. Surely people don’t need the authorities to wipe their a(se every couple of months. They are adults and capable of assessing risk hen making their own decisions. You’d swear people were being forced to go to house parties. I can’t see 5pm closing being agreed, it will probably end up at a compromise time. Has Danny Healy-Rae piped up yet? Probably not, as he can do what he wants in his boozer. The local gardai are still investigating? the parties in his pub.
If you think about, there’s a bit of logic to it, how full are pubs up to 5pm, compared to after 5pm, keeps numbers in them low, hence, try to prevent spread.
In saying that though, it is a ridiculous decision, given that schools are not to close early for the holidays. I can get on board with some recommendations, but now, they’re just becoming farcical.
@Andrew Giles: Andrew you have people who like to go out early in day, people who like evening times and the late night people.. All its doing is condensing people all together, it will push people consume more over a shorter period and encourage thousands of house partys.. 1pm thousands now will go for their meal/pint.. Chaos. I would much rather seen a 10 pm curfew, at least it gives people a choice instead of ramming it in too a two or three hour period.
How about get ducked with and F ye shower of w@nk$rs!!
Another mess from this government if they had rolled out the Booster a month ago we would not need more restrictions
General election
I wish they would tell the truth and say that the new variant is mild
Nphet the should be in charge of the country
wow I am delighted to know that covid only infects people after 8pm.
People need to stand up now,this is ridiculous.
Everyone in the country should down tools and march to the dail. This is crazy, people’s livelihoods are at stake and a week before Christmas. What was the whole point of getting these vaccinations? The clowns are going on their Christmas vacation and Joe public is left to deal with the mess.
This is getting ridiculous
Dey tuk or fredum
Absolute disgrace from Holohan the bully and his yes men in the so called government.
Why don’t we just move our clocks forward 4 hours for the next two weeks?
Total rubbish,the house parties will be excessive and I wouldn’t blame them,a government without logic or guts,the worst decision they ever made,why not let them open for vaccinated people,will the Dail bar close at 8pm I wonder,Government have lost all reason and are allowing Tony Holohanbto run the country
It’s to reduce numbers socialising after work
When will it kick in
If its so bad why not start today. Sick of all this carry on.
have your say