We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
IN A NEW survey of 35,000 people, 50% of respondents said the lifting of the 2km restriction on movement is their top priority when Covid-19 rules can be eased.
The survey, carried out by staff at Dublin City University and NUI Galway, found that the restriction on non-essential travel beyond 2km – introduced at the end of March – is the measure most people would like to see removed.
People who took part in the survey were asked to rank, in order of preference, which restrictions they would like to see removed.
After the 2km rule, 37% of respondents chose lifting the ban on small group gatherings, 33% said returning to work, and 32% chose the reopening of schools.
The government has said it is hoping to ease some of the restrictions on 5 May.
Over the weekend, health minister Simon Harris warned that there won’t be a “big bang moment” when restrictions are removed.
The figures come from the Corona Citizens’ Science Study, a survey carried out by researchers at DCU, NUIG and the Insight Centre for Data Analytics in Galway currently studying the impact of the pandemic on Irish life.
The government is currently working on a phased roadmap for how restrictions could be lifted. Such an approach is also likely to be accompanied by a significant increase in testing capacity.
Medical appointments
Experts have expressed concern that 32% of people surveyed said they had postponed medical treatments or check-ups.
While 55% of this was because the patient’s healthcare professional was not seeing patients at the moment, 39% said that they didn’t want to add extra pressure to the health service, while 26% of people were worried about the risk of catching Covid-19.
“Important treatment is being delayed, and there will need to be a clear path to fixing this before queues in our healthcare system become intolerable,” said DCU’s Professor Anthony Staines, an expert in health systems.
This concern was echoed by Dr Akke Vellinga, an epidemiologist at NUIG. “The postponement of GP appointments in particular is worrisome, and people should not put off calling their GP when they are worried about something,” she said.
The survey found that 41% of people had routine examinations postponed, while 48% had a consultation with a GP delayed.
A further 14% had a hospital medical examination postponed, while for 6% an operation had been postponed.
The survey, the second phase of the study, was carried out anonymously online and ran on 22 April.
“We also see people beginning to think about life after lock-down, and making realistic suggestions for gradual easing of the restrictions. Irish people have made huge sacrifices to bring this disease under some control, which we needed to do before we could move on,” Staines said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The problem is if you give an inch, they take a mile and become even more complacent. Should the numbers not be lower before we ease the restrictions?
That said, it would be great to see the cocooners leave their homes for 2km car trips only.
@Triona Hamilton: The problem is democracy. Of course we all want restrictions lifted, but that doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. The majority of the Irish public thought house prices wouldn’t fall pre 2008. We need a government that leads not follows.
@John Horan: Very true John. I did that survey and there was a choice of 5 answers to this question, the 2km answer seemed to be the least detrimental. Other answers you could choose was opening back up restaurants etc. So I personally would take this survey with a pinch of salt.
@Triona Hamilton: The 2 km needs to be lifted, its as simple as that. A lot of people out there are dealing with depression and this has not helped things.
By all means keep the rest of the restrictions in place, but being effectually being locked up and not being able to go and see friends and family ( while maintaining social distancing ) will and already have had long term damaging effects.
@Brian Henoll: But if they lift the 2k, you still won’t (shouldn’t) be visiting people. The 2k is for exercise only. You can go further for essential reasons
@Brian Henoll: are people who live within 2km of friends and family permitted to visit them, even if they practice social distancing? The answer is no….so what will the 2km rule change in that respect?
@Triona Hamilton: Lots of over 70s are well able to walk and cycle. They hate been confined to their homes. Many of them are breaking the regulations. I see my next door neighbour who is 71 out at 7 or 7 30 am walking. It is simply ridiculous that he is breaking the law. A 5km limit generally should be brought in. That would cater for most exercise. Remember it is a radius so at 5km you can get a lot in.
@Triona Hamilton: that’s not much help what about fresh air and exercise.
@Mary Oliver: All those of us not cocooning can get plenty of fresh air and exercise. In fact it is vital that we do, particularly through this difficult time when our mental health is challenged. My point is I’d love to see the over 70s (many of my family members) be able to leave their homes eg on a short car journey without feeling they are breaking the rules.
@Mary Oliver: and you’re right Mary. I agree with you … the over 70s need fresh air and exercise also but unfortunately, they are high risk and putting themselves in huge danger should they take exercise outside their homes.
@Ciaran O’Mara: disagree I know plenty of over 70s out walking their dogs in the park while maintaining social distancing. This exercise is important for their mental and physical health. If they make the decision to do that, I think it should be respected.
@Triona Hamilton: I am an octogenarian on voluntary lockdown,would do another 4 if it was productive,but planes,boats,ferries,carscomming in .who is kidding whom.?
@Elizabeth Doyle: Fair play to you Elizabeth. It must be very difficult. I see it with my own nearest and dearest on total lockdown. Stay safe and look after yourself.
In the last 6 days we’ve had 3200 positive cases. When we locked down we had 2000 cases. Hard to see restrictions being lifted at the weekend.
@Joe Mc: Mid June before they start to lift restrictions Joe. That’s if everybody does their part. If people move off script in their thousands, then we go back to lock down again.
@David Corrigan: agreed. Just looked up also that 434 people lost their lives in those 6 days. RIP. Very scary figures
@David Corrigan: how do you know?
@Mary Oliver: An educated guess Mary. If they let this thing loose again then you can write off 2020.
@Joe Mc: Testing has gone up so it’s no wonder we’ve had more positive cases confirmed.
Professor Nolan has stated that there is no growth in the disease for weeks now.
@Francis Mc Carthy: if number of positive cases increases it only means one thing, regardless of weather or not in residential settings that the threat of reinfection in the community is very high. You have to remember that care workers go home too.
@Joe Mc: hasnt testing been increased dramatically? Restrictions are being lifted unless they go back and tell the construction industry that they are not allowing them back.
@Paul O Mahony: really, you must know something that nobody else knows. 99% chance of no restrictions being lifted at all
@Joe Mc: The positive case count is a tough number to gain much insight or trend from Joe. Too many variables, how many tests they had to give how many they administered and to who. It seems to be that they are confident that they have Severely stunted community transmission. They need it at a trackable level (which granted we are not near by the looks of it). I can only see them giving a token easing come May 5th, but there’s so much talk they’ll have to do something within the bounds of what will still help drive down these cases.
@Bilbo Baggins: it didn’t matter how many were tested to get 701 positives. It’s still 701 positives in the community and therefore a major risk to reinfection
@Joe Mc: Of course it matters how many are tested. It’s like you’re saying that if they stopped testing altogether you’d be happy to open up with 0 new cases every day
@Joe Mc: Positive cases have been going up and down the past while like a yo-yo. Hospital admissions have fallen sharply the past three weeks. ICU numbers have fallen the past three weeks. Reproduction rate has fallen sharply the past three weeks. It is a fact that there will be a rise in reinfection once restrictions have been lifted. It will be up to the powers that be to keep a close monitor on that.
@Joe Mc: I see you’re denying science again Joe. It does matter how many were tested, the more tests typically = more cases.
Also has Leo been on the phone to you telling you that “there is 99% chance no restrictions are being lifted” when on Friday’s conference the Health Minister said they have hopes to ease 1 or 2.
@Joe Mc: There is a chance 1 or 2 will be eased and there is a chance that none will be eased, every article I see you acting like you have a line directly connecting you to Leo and NPHET at a moments notice. You come on here to stir tension and scare people. You don’t know, I don’t know, no one on here knows, I don’t know why you’re so determined to convince people that you know otherwise.
You’re also conveniently forgetting how many we have recovered being a good bit over 50% now
@Joe Mc: that’s a lie, there is zero community transmission it is in care homes end of, there is no community transmission! Your scaremongering!
@Joe Mc: that’s a lie, there is zero community transmission it is in care homes end of, there is no community transmission! You’re scaremongering!
@Joe: He is always doing it, he tried to tell me that you can calculate the death rate with simple math, despite every expert saying you can’t and his figure was quite stupendous
@Joe: that’s complete rubbish. 6 people admitted to my local hospital yesterday with virus and not associated with care homes. Deniers here are infuriating me while I try to protect my family. As for that Aaron lad hes no better for suggesting that it’s ok for people to die while we open up again. Another troll
@Aaron O’Leary: let me do that again for you. Last year 600k died from the flu worldwide. The rate is
0.1. With this virus the rate is at the very least 3%. That’s 30 times greater so without restrictions add that up and see what you get. Clown
@Joe Mc: That’s not how a death rate is calculated Joe. Theres 3 studies putting it closer to 0.1% now, theres studies that put it at 4%, it’s all over the place. You are not taking in CFR into your equation. You’re just making an assumption that it’s “3%”. You literally made up a number because you want to scare people
Here Stanford and USC in the US calculate 0.12% which is just around the same rate as the flu:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/17/antibody-study-suggests-coronavirus-is-far-more-widespread-than-previously-thought
This study is also being scrutinized, as is the WHOs figure. So I don’t know where you are pulling “the rate is at the very least 3% from” when theres no scientist on this planet that will conduct a peer reviewed study on the death by stating “at the very least 3%”. Pure and utter nonsense you imbecil.
What do you say about the stanford and USC studies that point it to be 0.12%, which is very similar to the flu Joe? Or are those experts just not as smart as a kilkenny man pulling a 3% figure from his @ss
@Joe Mc: You are intentionally forgetting the estimated figure of those who were infected in the past but not confirmed which is estimated to be 50 – 85 times higher than the confirmed figure Joe, which since they have recovered are not part of a death toll, thus bringing your magical 3% number far far lower. There is asymptomatic Joe in case you forgot.
You cannot work out death rate by simple maths, when every scientist is struggling to work out the death rate
Here is an article which explains in very simple English why your methodology is completely wrong and why it cannot be done with simple 2nd class level maths
https://theconversation.com/why-coronavirus-death-rates-cant-be-summed-up-in-one-simple-number-135758
@Joe Mc: Joe I didn’t suggest opening up, I said you don’t know because you do not know and I do not know when the lockdown is lifted. You’re a disgusting liar.
“There is a chance 1 or 2 will be eased and there is a chance that none will be eased, every article I see you acting like you have a line directly connecting you to Leo and NPHET at a moments notice” – thats what I said. No where did I suggest opening up and that it’s okay to let people die.
You’re also 100% lying about the figure going into the hospital I would say just to push your agenda. You are not someone that can be trusted.
@David Corrigan: everyone is an expert!
@Mary Oliver: Or like Joe above, a professional scaremonger
@Aaron O’Leary: I suggest you listen to kclr radio at 11am. Now go away troll
@Joe Mc: Ah yes KCLR radio, the gem of journalism.
@Aaron O’Leary: just for your information. As per WHO, death rate is 3.4%. But actual death rate for cases that had an outcome/ recovered/ died is 19%. That’s per worldometers. We wont know proper death rate till this is over but at the moment its 19%. That’s confirmed figures.
@Joe Mc: Yes Joe that is what I have been telling you, confirmed figures. Closed cases is not a way to do death rate as closed cases is in the minority. WHO is 3.4% but that has been heavily disputed. You know yourself as good as I do that unconfirmed cases account for a huge number, therefore any number is entirely skewed.
Heres another study that puts the figure at 0.66% https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/research-briefing/covid-19-death-rate-under-1-when-unconfirmed-cases-considered-researchers-estimate/20207886.article
@Joe Mc: Studies show 86% of cases went unconfirmed at the beginning of this Joe.
@Aaron O’Leary: yes but you will admit that confirmed deaths are not correct either. But one thing we are sure of is 19% of cases that had an outcome have died. It wont end up like that but one thing is for sure it will be a heavy toll.
@Joe Mc: No death rate is correct right now Joe, every single one is disputed in some fashion and rightfully so. The one I linked about Stanford is being lambasted by scientists, the WHO’s figure is disputed, the 0.66% I linked above also disputed, with a disease as infectious as this coupled with a spectrum of two end points being “no symptoms at all” and “death” it’s impossible to get a death rate, but telling people it’s 3% is fear mongering, when even the WHO dispute their own figure themselves.
It’s a heavy toll and it’s terribly upsetting, awfully upsetting and thankfully these measures have prevented a lot more deaths and I’m in full support of extending them myself as I am not comfortable with the rate of infections, deaths or the R0, I would rather see it hit 0.3 – 0.5 before we lift, but saying 99% chance there is none which goes against what we are being told and putting out a 3% figure from no where is just scaring people.
@Joe Mc: My partner is a nurse, if you think I want to open up right now and risk her getting sick, I’d keep the whole world shut down for the rest of time to protect her alone, but I don’t make that decision and objectively it has to open at some point I guess
It’s very worrying to see people going around like their are no restrictions. Family going shopping together, holiday hotspots packed, big traffic on roads again. Some people are way to selfish to see that this will cost lives and will only add to the restrictions being lifted. Stay safe everyone and don’t travel
@Joe Mc: families going shopping together is the one that gets me. Went and did my weekly shop after working from home last friday. Families with mother/father two kids, mother/teenager, father/teenagers. It’s not your weekly social outing, was angered that the shop even let them in together. Also two kids running up and down the aisles like it was were a playground, no parents to be seen, and wearing what looked like medical grade masks. With shortage of ppe, if you waste masks to take your kids shopping so they can run around and play you are a p*%#k of the highest order. So many of us have sacrificed so much over the last number of weeks for it to be undone by a selfish few.
@Joe Mc: I am still working have seen no difference in the traffic in the last 5 or 6 weeks. Haven’t seen a child in a supermarket in months. And from what people in work who live close to coastal areas say there are still checkpoints near all beaches ect. Beautiful sunny days, no kids playing out in my estate. You will always get some idiots but for the most part people are sticking to restrictions. Bored people need to stop complaining about what everybody else is doing
@niamh ryan: agreed Niamh, no major increase in traffic at all and no local holiday hotspots have been packed either. Comments such as the above are not helpful at all really.
@Ross McGann: This shocks me. I haven’t been shopping much but I haven’t seen a child near a shop nor even so much as a couple shopping together. Hope your experience was the exception rather than the norm.
@Dara O’Brien: ye two must have been asleep. Pictures on social media ,radio and even the gov saying they are concerned. Wake up lads and stop faking news
@Sinead Burke: same Sinead, hadn’t seen kids or people shopping together for weeks now. Felt very uncomfortable as with more people, especially couples walking two abreast down aisles, it was much harder to keep the 2m distance. Hopefully this week was just a slip up by most and we get back to following guidelines going forward
@Joe Mc: couldn’t agree more Joe, this lot must of been in a coma the last few days, no check points in Portmarnock when I was there shoppping and picking up medication for elderly neighbour and it was like any normal saturday cars everywhere and people with kids everywhere. Fake news groups should stick to colouring and playing with your play doh.
@James Hayes: no haven’t been asleep or in a coma. Busy out working away. No time for Facebook or curtain twitching. And it always makes me laugh when people are out shopping and complain about other people out shopping. Oh I was there for a legitimate reason but everyone else was just breaking the rules. Ever think that when you are angry that people are out that they are angry that you are there?
@niamh ryan: I live next to a busy main road, day 1 and 2 of the lock down you could here a pin drop, it was amazing, then it started to get busy and busier. Now it’s like normal cars a constant stream, so to say there hasn’t been an increase is not technically true, maybe where you live it maybe quite but not here in Dublin. As for shopping, I keep it to once a week and I do it for a group of elderly people as well, I’ve seen couples shopping and it absolutely blew my mind, whh do you need a couple shopping together in a lock down. Do they not trust each other with their money….
@Dara O’Brien: no increase here in Wexford
@James Hayes: That’s the thing, Dublin. It’s a far larger population than anywhere else in the country. Even the seismic graphs would be skewed by Dublins footfall alone. I live above a main street in Cork and there hasn’t been a soul out it seems in weeks. Same with the regional park here.
There is also the possibility that Dublin simply isn’t taking this as serious as other places. And other main places could be the same, it’s dependent on what we see, no point in saying people are in a coma based on your experience in Dublin
Were a strange nation. We couldnt wait for ‘lock down’ with some demanding it. Then when restrictions are put in we can barely go a few weeks and we want it lifted!
@Alan: perhaps we’re not a collective mind and the people who wanted restrictions implemented are different people to the ones who want restrictions lifted.
@Gordon Comstock: That would only be partially true
@Alan: That’s the result you come to when you base the entire countries opinion based on what you read in the Journal
This is why there was a “delay” in shutting everything down in some instances, as the concern was that you only get a short window, a few weeks, before lockdown restrictions become less effective and you have to time the lockdown order to coincide with when the models suggest is the correct time to avoid a peak or flatten the curve.
The problem is that if you are effective, people then say the lockdown is excessive and there’s no threat by virtue of the very thing they’re preventing to stop.
It’s one of the many scenarios in government where you just have to factor in the stupidity of the general public and work around it.
@Sean Fahey: Your last sentence reads like politicians are above everyone else. The majority of people in this country have obeyed the rules of lockdown so labeling them as stupid is not accurate.
@David Corrigan: That’s fair.
@Sean Fahey: The government shouldn’t factor in stupidity. Imo that’s a sure fire way of encouraging it.
@David Corrigan: according to this hes a partner in the US law firm Pepper Hamilton. Weird
https://www.pepperlaw.com/people/sean-p-fahey/
@JimmyMc: just one of the many many bots that have appeared on sites like this over the past month praising the government on the below average job they are doing, setting a narrative and basically trying to spin to help us simpletons forgot how awful a government they are.
@David Corrigan: yep, the majority of people have been very careful and obeyed lockdown. The reason the virus spread so fast here is lack of contact tracing plus isolation.
@JimmyMc: wow that must be him. I cant imagine there’s more than one Sean fahey
@Motherofthree: it’s the same picture only with face mask and hat
It doesn’t seems lockdown is working very well,when you compare it to Sweden. It might have been worked better to lock our borders and ports and stick to quarantine our nursing homes at the beginning, but this is just a thought. My Condolences to everyone who lost a loved ones.
@TrungelC: Sweden is talking about closing cafés and bars
@Ian James Burgess: Wrong. Their PM said he will close them if they don’t comply with the social distancing measures that are in place for those type of businesses.
Gently does it with the easing, and don’t lose control.
@Logan Shepherd:Exactly that is the only logical step to take, but is it what they’ll do. I’m not holding my breath.
@Logan Shepherd: Yeah, it needs to be calculated well, while restrictions will have to lift at some point, we need to analyse the effect of every single one and have the ability to reverse if needs be at a moments notice
@James Hayes: I hear you, but surely they can’t mess this up.
@Aaron O’Leary: I know we agree on this one Aaron. I wonder if any country will go in a different direction, to evaluate the full extent in a faster timeframe.
@Logan Shepherd: I kind of hope not really. It’s uncomfortable enough knowing that more people will inevitably pass way from any lifting
@Aaron O’Leary: So true, and I’m hoping humanity is every countries first concern.
@Logan Shepherd: It absolutely should be.
How is 50% a “majority”? Misleading headline
@Martin Moloney: because it’s higher than any other option that was available to pick.
@Martin Moloney: If there are say 4 options to pick and one gets 50% the other 3 get 20% 20% and 10% respectively. The one that got 50% is very clearly a majority. Not everything is based on electoral majority Martin.
@Aaron O’Leary: No, it’s not. ‘Majority’ means ‘more than 50%’.
@El_Duderino: No, the definition of majority in the Dictionary is “the greater number” say if you have 10 friends and you are deciding what to do and 50% being 5 say cinema, 20% being 2 say shops, another 20% being say stay at home and 10% being one say go for a drive. Who is in the majority there? I would say the. 5 people saying cinema are in the majority as the options whittled down to a number of different choices and cinema has the majority of votes.
@El_Duderino: To say majority means 50% means you don’t even know how our own electoral system works.
@El_Duderino: 50% being a majority ONLY works if there are two options, there was atleast 5 options in this survey so when there are more than two options a majority is decided by who has the most votes, not by who is above 50%, you can only do aa 50% = majority when there is only 2 options.
“50% of respondents said the lifting of the 2km restriction on movement is their top priority when Covid-19 rules can be eased.” the rest are lower than 50% and it was more than 2 options, therefore the 50% is the majority.
If in the situation I described with friends and you had the mindset that 51% had to happen to make a choice you would stand around doing nothing, as no one got 50% but 5 out of 10 friends chose cinema as opposed to friends choosing to stay at home, 2 others choosing shops and 1 other choosing a drive. Very clear cinema got the majority of votes.
What people would like to happen and what is needed are two very different things.
We need the Reproductive Rate stabilised at less than 1.0 for at least three weeks then start to look at the options.
Asian countries are scrupulously making people check temperature before they can enter any building.
Those who have a high temperature must get tested. If they test positive they are quarantined in dedicated Covid Clinics. No ‘self-isolating’ considered.
@Donal McGrath: but what about all the people who have the virus but are asymptomatic? No temp doesn’t mean no virus?
@Cathy Guerin:
Very true.
Also not everyone who has a temperature will have Covid 19.
But temperature is one of the major symptoms. It can be easily checked with a thermometer.
This is being used as a method of identification, then it’s followed by the testing to determine whether the person has the infection and then they have mandatory quarantine/isolation to reduce the reproductive rate of infection in the community.
They might not have identified ALL of those that are infected in the community but they are catching a significantly high number of cases and stopping the RATE of transmission.
We need to look at controlling the rate of transmission in the phase after lockdown. That probably means attempting widespread early detection methods and mandatory quarantines for those infected.
Because of it being asymptomatic, it’s unlikely that we’d stop all transmissions until an immunisation programme could be developed over many years.
The questions of this survery are not available. Did ye see them? Was the question:
A. Which of the measures are you most looking forward to lifting?
B. Do you want X restriction removed?
This matters, as often people while looking forward to something ending still believe it is the most important way to go.
An example would be chemotherapy of a cancer patient.
Could we get clarity on the questions asked please!
@AJ Con: yes
I can only guess that their are motives behind the questions related to big business lobbies
@AJ Con: The survey is no longer available on line but I took part and to the best of my recollection there was 1 question on lifting restrictions in which you had to put in order a number of options- being able to travel more than 2km, meeting in more than groups of 2, all shops restaurants and pubs to reopen, and 2 others I can’t remember.
@Joe Mc: I doubt it very much. Run by 2 universities. Most of the questions were about things like medical appointments missed, medical symptoms, mental health. There was just 1 question on lifting restrictions.
@AJ Con: both surveys were on The Journal. I completed both.
@AJ Con: Did the survey, it was linked in the last article about this. It talks about mental health, happiness, productivity, compliance and then asks which would you like to see lifted.
The lockdown should be longer, as people are not been complacent but Dumb, Selfish and Dangerous while making their way out in groups. Sorry but complacent is being to kind to these lot.
What stup.. survey do they need. What or who is going to finance a country on lockdown. Most of us I would imagine need to get back to work or we will not have any work left to get back to. Shut down needs to end quick at least some of it. Its ok for all those older retired people cocooning who are retired on their pensions but it’s a bit selfish and wrong to expect everyone else healthy fit people who are trying to raise families or pay for their homes, keep their jobs to risk losing everything they have.
I can’t wait for the restrictions to be lifted
The 2km radius is generous as it is when compared to other western countries, yet the amount of non essential travel being done by is grating and is only going to result in this going on for longer. Ah yeah, sure have whole families go to the shops instead of the more logical option of sending one nominated individual out to minimize the risk. I feel like many Irish people are living in the mindset of ‘it won’t happen to me’.
The 2km radius only applies to taking exercise. There is no 2km restriction on movement for any of the other reasons for leaving home.
50% is hardly a resounding majority. TheJournal trying to make a story out of nothing, again.
@Ian McDonald: Then why read The journal with nothing else to do.
@Ian McDonald: If there are say 4 options to pick and one gets 50% the other 3 get 20% 20% and 10% respectively. The one that got 50% is very clearly a majority.
As a cocooner all I want is to be able to do my own supermarket shopping again. If the 2km is lifted people will go mad and we will all be in danger. They can’t keep to it even with restrictions.
Awww boo hoo. The people are bored at home. Pity about them. It must be tough to be still alive.
The majority is always wrong. Politicians capitalise on this. You are staying at home because of the inherent failures which arise from these two basic facts. If you have a problem with the fact that you are deemed “non-essential” and have to stay in isolation because we have an entirely dysfunctional “health” system, figure out how to do something that IS essential and add to the solution, rather than add to the problem.
Not sure if I am reading this correctly, but 48% of people missing a GP appointment seems inordinate. Is our general health so poor that almost half of us would be attending a GP in such a short time frame?
Lock it down, arrest people who leave their homes. The army can put sandwiches through people’s letterboxes.
@The Shape: but thee sandwich will get smushed :(
People are already ignoring them, we’re going to see a bit of a surge in deaths and cases if they start easing them now.
have your say